Error at starting mysql because lack of permission on /var/lib folder

Question

OS : Redhat

I try to launch the mysql database after a fresh installation. The problem is I am not root on this server and my user have not the permission to write in the /var/lib folder.

When I try to launch the mysqld, I have passed lot of options to mysqld_safe command line but mysqld always need to write in the /var/lib folder :/

Command line :

bin/mysqld_safe --basedir=/tools/mysql/mysql --log-error=/tools/mysql/mysql/log \
--datadir=/tools/mysql/mysql/data --defaults-file=/tools/mysql/mysql/my.cnf \
 --tmpdir=/tools/mysql/mysql/tmp

error log :

130918 16:43:23 mysqld_safe Logging to '/tools/mysql/mysql/log.err'.
mkdir: cannot create directory `/var/lib/mysql': Permission denied
chown: invalid user: `mysql'
chmod: cannot access `/var/lib/mysql': No such file or directory*
130918 16:43:23 mysqld_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /tools/mysql/mysql/data
130918 16:43:25 mysqld_safe mysqld from pid file /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid ended

Anyone know how can I ask to mysqld to do not write in the /var/lib directory ?

Solution

It's probably the Unix socket, which defaults to /var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock. Try adding --socket=/tools/mysql/mysql/mysql.sock (or wherever you want to put it). You'll need to use the same option with the client.

Comments

[Nils]

Invalid user: mysql does not sound good. This rather looks like the mysql-user does not exist. How was mysql installed on that server?