MySQL in Non-standard Locations

Sometimes one ends up with a machine containing multiple MySQL installations, and no clue how and why it happened in the first place. Besides normal which password to use for which server confusions, it also requires some attention when installing packages like Perl DBD-mysql module. Be sure to specify the correct -I and -L paths at "perl Makefile.PL" step of the installation.

For example:
perl Makefile.PL --cflags="-I/usr/local/mysql/include -g -pipe -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -m64 -mtune=generic -D_GNU_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -fno-strict-aliasing -fwrapv" --libs="-L/usr/local/mysql/lib -lmysqlclient -lz -lcrypt -lnsl -lm -L/usr/lib64 -lssl -lcrypto"


A Perl DBI client connection string can specify the non-standard socket location like this:
"DBI:mysql:mydb:localhost:mysql_socket=/tmp/mysql.sock"