Question

MySQL beginner here. I had thought that copying the directory <mysql_path>/<data_base_name> to USB stick & then copying it to the new PC would do it. It didn’t.

Maybe I need to also copy schema or some such?

I can’t say at the time of copying where it will be copied to & they might not be on the same LAN.

http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/copying-databases.html seems useful, but too tricky for beginners. Similarly, using mysqldump and piping it on one line won’t work as I don’t know the destination.

What’s the simplest no-brain way?

Answer 1

What’s wrong with:

$ mysqldump -u user -p db_name > /machine1/your/portable/media/mysqldump.sql

and later, on the other machine:

$ mysql -u user -p db_name < /machine2/your/portable/media/mysqldump.sql

?

Here’s a simple guide.