Question

I am working on Ubuntu 12.04. I need to set up a database with the help of something like SQL server. Or is there anyway to set up a database on our own?

I need to practice using SQL, now I am working on “Informix AIX” systems to practice. I need this set up to be done asap.

Answer 1

I would recommend installing MySQl as it is open source and free to use for educational purposes. If you want to redistribute it for commercial purposes it requires a license (thought I would throw that in just in case).

It is pretty simple to get installed on Ubuntu, simply type in sudo apt-get install mysql-server in a terminal and it will do the rest for you. It will prompt you to set a password for the database, but once the installation is complete the server should start up automatically and be ready to start using.

If you have any questions, a good tutorial to look at can be found at: https://help.ubuntu.com/12.04/serverguide/mysql.html

To access the database from the command line simply use: mysql -u <username> -p (don’t give an argument to the -p switch; just hit enter and make sure -p is the last word on the command line). That command will prompt you to enter in your password. The password should be entered password interactively because the command history is saved in plain text and anyone can thus press the up arrow key to find your password if you entered it in the command line.

Hope that helps,

Trevor