# MySQL Bindings, Pather Server, existing MySQL - help

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mysql-bindings-pather-server-existing-mysql-help/73382>\
**Category:** Ruby\
**Created:** [February 26, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mysql-bindings-pather-server-existing-mysql-help/73382 "2006-02-26T05:29:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zakifataya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/z/c89c15/32.png) [@zakifataya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/zakifataya)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mysql-bindings-pather-server-existing-mysql-help/73382/1 "2006-02-26T05:29:42Z")

</div>

I’m trying to install Ruby with the MySQL bindings via Darwinports on a  
Panther Server with an existing MySQL install. I’ve used Darwinports to  
install Ruby, Gems, and Rails, all went OK.

Now I’m trying to install the MySQL bindings without success. I’ve tried  
using Gems and extconf.rb, but both fail:

checking for mysql\_ssl\_set()… no  
checking for mysql.h… no  
checking for mysql/mysql.h… no

I think this is because on Panther server, the directories for lib and  
include are in non-standard locations (/usr/include/mysql,  
/usr/lib/mysql instead of /usr/local/mysql and /usr/local/lib). I’ve  
tried specifying these locations (–with-mysql-include, etc.) but it  
seems that the build script tries to add “include” and “lib” to the end  
of the directory specification, so it fails.

I also tried to use Darwinports to install the bindings, but it has  
MySQL as a dependency. It doesn’t find MySQL (since it’s previously  
installed at the standard location and not by Darwinports), so it wants  
to install it. I say no, of course, but then the port won’t install.  
There doesn’t seem to be a way to specify an alternate location for  
MySQL to get the port to install.

I’ve tried everything I can think of. Any ideas?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zakifataya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/z/c89c15/32.png) [@zakifataya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/zakifataya)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mysql-bindings-pather-server-existing-mysql-help/73382/2 "2006-02-27T21:31:47Z")

</div>

In the interests of helping others (since I couldn’t find the answer to  
this myself) here’s how I was able to accomplish this.

Per directions here

[http://www.kitebird.com/articles/ruby-mysql.html](http://www.kitebird.com/articles/ruby-mysql.html)

I was changing to the mysql-2.7 directory and running

ruby extconf.rb --with-mysql-config=/usr/include/mysql  
–with-mysql-lib=/usr/lib/mysql

but it was failing (see previous post).

I know that you often have to run the “make” and “make install” commands  
as root, but what fixed my problem was running extconf.rb as root. Don’t  
know if that will be a problem later, or a security risk, but it works  
now.

Brian A. wrote:

> I’m trying to install Ruby with the MySQL bindings via Darwinports on a  
> Panther Server with an existing MySQL install. I’ve used Darwinports to  
> install Ruby, Gems, and Rails, all went OK.
> 
> Now I’m trying to install the MySQL bindings without success. I’ve tried  
> using Gems and extconf.rb, but both fail:
> 
> checking for mysql\_ssl\_set()… no  
> checking for mysql.h… no  
> checking for mysql/mysql.h… no
> 
> I think this is because on Panther server, the directories for lib and  
> include are in non-standard locations (/usr/include/mysql,  
> /usr/lib/mysql instead of /usr/local/mysql and /usr/local/lib). I’ve  
> tried specifying these locations (–with-mysql-include, etc.) but it  
> seems that the build script tries to add “include” and “lib” to the end  
> of the directory specification, so it fails.
> 
> I also tried to use Darwinports to install the bindings, but it has  
> MySQL as a dependency. It doesn’t find MySQL (since it’s previously  
> installed at the standard location and not by Darwinports), so it wants  
> to install it. I say no, of course, but then the port won’t install.  
> There doesn’t seem to be a way to specify an alternate location for  
> MySQL to get the port to install.
> 
> I’ve tried everything I can think of. Any ideas?