Can't start server: can't create PID file

[SterLo]

So I seek the wisdom of the masses.

Trying to start MySQL up and it says failed...
/etc/init.d/mysqld start
Timeout error occurred trying to start MySQL Daemon.
Starting MySQL: [FAILED]

Immediately *** is stamped on my forehead.

To find out why I run, tail -f /var/log/mysqld.log:
InnoDB: Restoring possible half-written data pages from the doublewrite
InnoDB: buffer...
090210 15:54:02 InnoDB: Starting log scan based on checkpoint at
InnoDB: log sequence number 0 43655.
InnoDB: Doing recovery: scanned up to log sequence number 0 43655
090210 15:54:02 InnoDB: Started; log sequence number 0 43655
090210 15:54:02 [ERROR] /usr/libexec/mysqld: Can't create/write to file '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid' (Errcode: 13)
090210 15:54:02 [ERROR] Can't start server: can't create PID file: Permission denied
090210 15:54:02 mysqld ended

1. The user MySQL does in fact exist in the passwd file.
2. The folder /var/run/mysqld is 755 and mysql:root
3. I am doing all of this as Root.
4. uname -a: Linux ***** 2.6.18-92.1.22.el5 #1 SMP Tue Dec 16 12:03:43 EST 2008 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux
5. cat /etc/my.cnf:
[mysqld]
datadir=/var/lib/mysql
socket=/var/lib/mysql/mysql.sock
user=mysql
# Default to using old password format for compatibility with mysql 3.x
# clients (those using the mysqlclient10 compatibility package).
old_passwords=1
6.Permissions for /usr/libexec/mysqld:
rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 7308960 May 25 2008 mysqld
7. rpm -qa | grep mysql
mysql-5.0.45-7.el5
mysql-server-5.0.45-7.el5
php-mysql-5.1.6-20.el5_2.1


[mysqld_safe]
log-error=/var/log/mysqld.log
pid-file=/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid

Where do I go from here?
[Just realized I posted this in the wrong section. Sorry about that.]

[beno1990]

Try:

sudo chgrp mysql /var/run/mysqld/
sudo chmod g+w /var/run/mysqld/

It might also need you to change the permissions of the PID file itself. If so:

sudo chgrp mysql /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
sudo chmod g+w /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid

[SterLo]

Thank you Beno,

But alas - no luck.
[root@*****libexec]# sudo chgrp mysql /var/run/mysqld/
[root@*****libexec]# sudo chmod g+w /var/run/mysqld/
[root@*****libexec]# /etc/init.d/mysqld start
Timeout error occurred trying to start MySQL Daemon.
Starting MySQL: [FAILED]

Also, /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid doesn't exist...
Do I need to create it?
I was expecting that the script was already trying to create it.

Am I wrong?

I checked on my other servers that have MySQL working fine...they don't have mysqld.pid - not sure what that means.
I tried creating it...then I ran /etc/init.d/mysql start...then it vanished.
So I am thinking it doesn't exist until the script runs (process ID would only be of use then right?).

Try:

sudo chgrp mysql /var/run/mysqld/
sudo chmod g+w /var/run/mysqld/

It might also need you to change the permissions of the PID file itself. If so:

sudo chgrp mysql /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
sudo chmod g+w /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid

[beno1990]

Has the error shown by tail -f /var/log/mysqld.log changed since you changed the permissions on the folder?

[SterLo]

tail -f /var/log/mysqld.log
InnoDB: Restoring possible half-written data pages from the doublewrite
InnoDB: buffer...
090210 16:27:53 InnoDB: Starting log scan based on checkpoint at
InnoDB: log sequence number 0 43655.
InnoDB: Doing recovery: scanned up to log sequence number 0 43655
090210 16:27:53 InnoDB: Started; log sequence number 0 43655
090210 16:27:53 [ERROR] /usr/libexec/mysqld: Can't create/write to file '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid' (Errcode: 13)
090210 16:27:53 [ERROR] Can't start server: can't create PID file: Permission denied
090210 16:27:53 mysqld ended

Has the error shown by tail -f /var/log/mysqld.log changed since you changed the permissions on the folder?

[y@w]

Maybe try creating the file and giving the proper permissions?

touch /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
chown mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid

[SterLo]

Already tried that.
I create the file and then run MySQL...then it bombs...and then the file is gone.

A PID file just has a number in it...so I think it's created on the fly.

Like I said - I checked on other servers and it isn't in existence...me thinks that

[root@***** ~]# touch /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
[root@***** ~]# chown mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
[root@***** ~]# /etc/init.d/mysqld start
Timeout error occurred trying to start MySQL Daemon.
Starting MySQL: [FAILED]
[root@***** ~]# ls /var/run/mysqld/
[root@***** ~]#

Maybe try creating the file and giving the proper permissions?

[y@w]

mysql isn't zombied is it?

[SterLo]

Nope:

[root@***** ~]# ps aux | awk '{ print $8 " " $2 }' | grep -w Z
[root@***** ~]#

mysql isn't zombied is it?

[SterLo]

For some reason it has just started working...for no reason as far as I can tell.

Looks like someone else in the office took a look at it and figured it out.

They said it was a permissions issue in the /var/run folder.

BAH!