13.7.7.8 RESTART Syntax

This statement stops and restarts the MySQL server. It requires the SHUTDOWN privilege.

One use for RESTART is when it is not possible or convenient to gain command-line access to the MySQL server on the server host to restart it. For example, SET PERSIST_ONLY can be used at runtime to make configuration changes to system variables that can be set only at server startup, but the server must still be restarted for those changes to take effect. The RESTART statement provides a way to do so from within client sessions, without requiring command-line access on the server host.

A successful RESTART operation requires mysqld to be running in an environment that has a monitoring process available to detect a server shutdown performed for restart purposes:

These platforms provide the necessary monitoring support for the RESTART statement:

To configure a monitoring environment such that mysqld enables the RESTART statement:

Here is a minimal example as implemented in the bash shell:

#!/bin/bash

export MYSQLD_PARENT_PID=$$

export MYSQLD_RESTART_EXIT=16

while true ; do
  bin/mysqld mysqld options here
  if [ $? -ne $MYSQLD_RESTART_EXIT ]; then
    break
  fi
done

On Windows, the forking used to implement RESTART makes determining the server process to attach to for debugging more difficult. To alleviate this, starting the server with --gdb suppresses forking, in addition to its other actions done to set up a debugging environment. In non-debug settings, --no-monitor may be used for the sole purpose of suppressing forking the monitor process. For a server started with either --gdb or --no-monitor, executing RESTART causes the server to simply exit without restarting.