total newbie - questions on basic setup & ping

[ZeBozette]

I'm totally new to mySQL. Our webhost offers it but will not support it. I'm trying to use phpMyAdmin to connect and get error 2002 - server not responding or socket not correctly configured. My questions;
- should I be able to SEE a mysql directory if I ftp to our server?
- would pinging help? I saw that on another post but am not sure of the syntax. I have a server, username, password and db name.
- is there a good site for newbies? What I've found so far is help for using mySQL but can't get to it.. yet.
Thanks for any help
Boze

 

[johnwm]

Try downloading MySQL Administrator 1.2 and MySQL Query Browser 1.2 from

http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/gui-tools/5.0.html.

You can then run queries and do full db administration from your own PC, instead of relying on your host's version of phpMyAdmin, which may or may not be configured correctly (especially if they don't support MySQL)

If you want the best response to a question, please check out FAQ222-2244 first.
'If we're supposed to work in Hex, why have we only got A fingers?'
Drive a Steam Roller

 

[DonQuichote]

- should I be able to SEE a mysql directory if I ftp to our server?

No, not necessarily. I hope you don't use plain old FTP though. It's insecure.

- would pinging help?

Maybe. Some machines block pinging (Windows XP, for instance, blocks pings by default). Ping is a network tool used to check if a machine exists and responds.
So if you can ping a server, it exists. If you cannot ping a machine, it may still exist but it does not play nice.

If MySQL is offered, there must at least be *some* documentation. Note that for MySQL, localhost is not the same as 127.0.0.1. Without any further details, it is really hard to be of help.

To johnwm:
That a MySQL server is offered does not mean that the whole world can reach it. It may just be accessible from the web server only. In that case, phpMyAdmin could reach it, while any PC-installed software could not.


+++ Despite being wrong in every important aspect, that is a very good analogy +++
Hex (in Darwin's Watch)

 

[ZeBozette]

Thank you johnwm for the tip on MySQLAdmin and Query Browser.. I'll get them installed

Thanks DonQ for your reply, too, and your explanations. I was using FTP at a dos prompt. Is it better to use something like CuteFTP?
As far as my ISPs 'support' for MySQL they will setup a database, give me it's name, the servername, my username and password. Beyond that they refer me to php.net and dev.mysql.com. I did find out they use MySQL version 5.0.5.1 on an Apache 2.0.55 server and phpMyAdmin 4.4.7