Re: bin files in var/log/mysql

[Kilian <kil@gnu.ch>]

Brent Clark wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I saw all a few bin files in var/log/mysql.
>
> trinity:/var/log/mysql# ls -la
> total 5760
> drwxr-s---  2 mysql adm    4096 2006-05-18 07:47 .
> drwxr-xr-x 13 root  root   4096 2006-05-18 08:13 ..
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm  145221 2006-05-13 07:35 mysql-bin.000133
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm  178978 2006-05-14 07:35 mysql-bin.000134
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm   99868 2006-05-15 07:58 mysql-bin.000135
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm   97529 2006-05-16 07:52 mysql-bin.000136
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm   73481 2006-05-17 07:52 mysql-bin.000137
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm  422265 2006-05-18 07:47 mysql-bin.000138
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm  248005 2006-05-18 14:07 mysql-bin.000139
> -rw-rw----  1 mysql adm     800 2006-05-18 07:47 mysql-bin.index

Those are MySQLs binary logfiles as specified by the "log-bin" parameter 
in /etc/mysql/my.cnf. You can examine them with the mysqlbinlog tool, 
just type for example

  $ mysqlbinlog mysql-bin.000139

> Could anyone please tell me what are these for, 

Simply to log update queries (see my.cnf and the MySQL administration 
manual).

> and I would like to know
> how come they dont get compress / rotated. 

Check /etc/logrotate.d/mysql-server.

> It seem like files will just
> keep on getting created with out
>  old files been deleted.

Check the "rotate" parameter in the above file.

	-- Kilian