Frequenced Asked Questions

Question Answer

Is WinMySQL freeware ? Yes, the "regular" version (latest 1.1 US) is free, you can use it as you want, you can download it with its source files in the download zone of this site. Note that the "professional" version is shareware but it may be fully used without expiration date or locked features. Only a "shareware warning" appears during 25 seconds each time you enter an important feature.

With which version of MySQL, WinMySQL is compliant ? With all version using the MySQL protocol 10.x : MySQL 3.x to MySQL 5.x.
However, with version 4 and 5, the scrambling algorithm for storing passwords has changed for more security. So, to use WinMySQL with a such version without obtaining an error message on connecting to a MySQL server 4 or 5 (message that invite you to use another MySQL client), you must manually connect once to the MySQL4/5 server (database "mysql") and translate passwords that you want to connect with, using the following commands:
UPDATE user SET password=old_password("whished_password") WHERE user=("user_used_to_connect_with_winmysql");
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Do this operation only with users that you want to connect and you want to manage with WinMySQL. New and oldstyle passwords can be mixed in the same server.

WinMySQL says "Can't connect to host" ! If this message takes a while to appear, the problem is a network trouble :
Perhaps, in the field "MySQL host", you've enter the resolved name of the server and the DNS is out of order or doesn't know the host. Then, enter in this field the IP address of the host.
Perhaps, the MySQL server is located behind a router or a proxy with packet filtering on the communcation port. Then, change the communication port on server and on WinMySQL (you can do that still version 1.02 US). Otherwise, contact your network administrator.
If this message is quikly displayed, the trouble is a privileges trouble (access denied) :
Perhaps, you've failed to enter password, user or database value.
Perhaps, the privileges are too weak to connect from your station, on this database with this user. Then take a look (if you can, with telnet) to the database called "mysql" on the host. The tables "user", "host", "db", "table_priv" and "column_priv" contain (or not) the related privileges for this user.
To know how to manage privileges, please see the MySQL documentation at TcX DataKonsult AB, the makers of MySQL !

With WinMySQL Professional, i have created a user with all rights granted on a specific database with connection capability from any host (%) but access is always denied for this user ! You have granted the right to connect from anywhere for a specific user on a specific database, but this user may have only the right to connect from "localhost" in its general privileges, this clause overrides the "%" in the "hosts" combobox when the privilege range selector is positionned on a specific database.

The solution consists in adding "%" in the "hosts" combobox when the privilege range selector is positionned on the "general privileges" value.

With WinMySQL Professional, when i try to list connections, i obtain "access denied" as answer and a memory violation happens ! You try to use this feature on a old MySQL server version (typically 3.21.33b-log). WinMySQL Professional 1.05 prevents this bug.

With WinMySQL Professional, when i'm connecting to the MySQL server, i obtain "link lost" as answer. However, i'm sure that my connection profile is correct. You are connecting onto an old MySQL server (typically 3.21.33b-log) which doesn't support the "anticrash socket" feature.

The solution consists in unchecking the "anticrash socket" option in the connection profile before connecting.

Is the source file available ? Yes, the source files are available for the "regular" version. It is a freeware conforming itself to the GNU Public Licence. You can download it from the download zone of this site.
In opposition with the "regular" version of WinMySQL, WinMySQL Professional is not a freeware and its source files are not available.

Can WinMySQL works behind a firewall ? Yes, if the firewall doesn't work as a proxy, if you simply configure the communication port (default is 3306) on server and on WinMySQL on a number that the firewall doesn't filter.
You also can contact your network administrator to open the firewall on the required port.
Note that WinMySQL works fine thru a NAT system (Network Address Translation) and thru a masquerading system.

In what programming language WinMySQL has been written ? WinMySQL has been written in Inprise/Borland Delphi 2.0.

I'm programming in Visual Basic and I want to write a software like WinMySQL, how can I do that ? You can use the libmysql.dll written by the makers of MySQL and write an interface with it in any language which manage dynamic libraries under Windows. Then, you'll be able to use directly the MySQL API.
On Delphi (the language of WinMySQL), this interface has been written by Blestan TABAKOV, Bob SILVA, David BLACKBURN and Folkert KLEMME.

I am a Delphi developper, I have taken a look on the source files of WinMySQL and it is ugly and undocumented, then I understand nothing. How may I do to write a MySQL native application with Delphi ? If you have Delphi 3.0 or higher, you can use an amazing VCL component : the TMySQL. With it, nothing hard to understand ! ;-)
Does WinMySQL send the password crypted to the host ? Yes, the password is crypted, but anything else is sent without any scrambling. If you want to secure all the MySQL network traffic, you can install an SSH daemon on the server and SSH-PORTS on the clients and then you could forward the MySQL communication port (default is 3306) to the SSH port (default is 22) to establish a link into a scrambling tunnel.
Note that MySQL works such as Oracle. Oracle scrambles only the password, not all its network traffic.

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Question	Answer
Is WinMySQL freeware ?	Yes, the "regular" version (latest 1.1 US) is free, you can use it as you want, you can download it with its source files in the download zone of this site. Note that the "professional" version is shareware but it may be fully used without expiration date or locked features. Only a "shareware warning" appears during 25 seconds each time you enter an important feature.
With which version of MySQL, WinMySQL is compliant ?	With all version using the MySQL protocol 10.x : MySQL 3.x to MySQL 5.x. However, with version 4 and 5, the scrambling algorithm for storing passwords has changed for more security. So, to use WinMySQL with a such version without obtaining an error message on connecting to a MySQL server 4 or 5 (message that invite you to use another MySQL client), you must manually connect once to the MySQL4/5 server (database "mysql") and translate passwords that you want to connect with, using the following commands: UPDATE user SET password=old_password("whished_password") WHERE user=("user_used_to_connect_with_winmysql"); FLUSH PRIVILEGES; Do this operation only with users that you want to connect and you want to manage with WinMySQL. New and oldstyle passwords can be mixed in the same server.
WinMySQL says "Can't connect to host" !	If this message takes a while to appear, the problem is a network trouble : Perhaps, in the field "MySQL host", you've enter the resolved name of the server and the DNS is out of order or doesn't know the host. Then, enter in this field the IP address of the host. Perhaps, the MySQL server is located behind a router or a proxy with packet filtering on the communcation port. Then, change the communication port on server and on WinMySQL (you can do that still version 1.02 US). Otherwise, contact your network administrator. If this message is quikly displayed, the trouble is a privileges trouble (access denied) : Perhaps, you've failed to enter password, user or database value. Perhaps, the privileges are too weak to connect from your station, on this database with this user. Then take a look (if you can, with telnet) to the database called "mysql" on the host. The tables "user", "host", "db", "table_priv" and "column_priv" contain (or not) the related privileges for this user. To know how to manage privileges, please see the MySQL documentation at TcX DataKonsult AB, the makers of MySQL !
With WinMySQL Professional, i have created a user with all rights granted on a specific database with connection capability from any host (%) but access is always denied for this user !	You have granted the right to connect from anywhere for a specific user on a specific database, but this user may have only the right to connect from "localhost" in its general privileges, this clause overrides the "%" in the "hosts" combobox when the privilege range selector is positionned on a specific database. The solution consists in adding "%" in the "hosts" combobox when the privilege range selector is positionned on the "general privileges" value.
With WinMySQL Professional, when i try to list connections, i obtain "access denied" as answer and a memory violation happens !	You try to use this feature on a old MySQL server version (typically 3.21.33b-log). WinMySQL Professional 1.05 prevents this bug.
With WinMySQL Professional, when i'm connecting to the MySQL server, i obtain "link lost" as answer. However, i'm sure that my connection profile is correct.	You are connecting onto an old MySQL server (typically 3.21.33b-log) which doesn't support the "anticrash socket" feature. The solution consists in unchecking the "anticrash socket" option in the connection profile before connecting.
Is the source file available ?	Yes, the source files are available for the "regular" version. It is a freeware conforming itself to the GNU Public Licence. You can download it from the download zone of this site. In opposition with the "regular" version of WinMySQL, WinMySQL Professional is not a freeware and its source files are not available.
Can WinMySQL works behind a firewall ?	Yes, if the firewall doesn't work as a proxy, if you simply configure the communication port (default is 3306) on server and on WinMySQL on a number that the firewall doesn't filter. You also can contact your network administrator to open the firewall on the required port. Note that WinMySQL works fine thru a NAT system (Network Address Translation) and thru a masquerading system.
In what programming language WinMySQL has been written ?	WinMySQL has been written in Inprise/Borland Delphi 2.0.
I'm programming in Visual Basic and I want to write a software like WinMySQL, how can I do that ?	You can use the libmysql.dll written by the makers of MySQL and write an interface with it in any language which manage dynamic libraries under Windows. Then, you'll be able to use directly the MySQL API. On Delphi (the language of WinMySQL), this interface has been written by Blestan TABAKOV, Bob SILVA, David BLACKBURN and Folkert KLEMME.
I am a Delphi developper, I have taken a look on the source files of WinMySQL and it is ugly and undocumented, then I understand nothing. How may I do to write a MySQL native application with Delphi ?	If you have Delphi 3.0 or higher, you can use an amazing VCL component : the TMySQL. With it, nothing hard to understand ! ;-)
Does WinMySQL send the password crypted to the host ?	Yes, the password is crypted, but anything else is sent without any scrambling. If you want to secure all the MySQL network traffic, you can install an SSH daemon on the server and SSH-PORTS on the clients and then you could forward the MySQL communication port (default is 3306) to the SSH port (default is 22) to establish a link into a scrambling tunnel. Note that MySQL works such as Oracle. Oracle scrambles only the password, not all its network traffic.