Debian5 Lenny and MySQL Server 5.1.x

I am running Debian5 Lenny which is running Virtualmin and Webmin. The default configurations install MySQL server 5.0.51. MySQL’s website has version 5.1.x. I wanted to update the version on my Debian box. Unfortunately, Debian considers MySQL 5.0.51 as the stable version, while version 5.1.49 is considered unstable. You can install it by updating your /etc/apt/sources.list file. Add the following lines and save.

deb http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ sid main
deb-src http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/ sid main

After saving the file, update the apt-get.

apt-get update

You can continue to use apt-get and install the newer version of MySQL server or use the Webmin web gui. You can search for it under System/Software Packages, then search for “mysql-server”. You will see the newer version. Before you install it, make sure you have backed up your database, it will remove the old one.

It took some time to find the information. I had to browse different websites and piece together the information. It’s funny how something this common, is hard to find a solution to on one web page. I hope this helps Linux noobs like me out there. Do keep in mind that Debian considers this version of MySQL unstable.