Installing the database

Kegbot relies on a database system to store all data, including keg and drink information. This chapter covers installing an initializing a database for use by Kegbot.

At the moment, Kegbot can support either MySQL or Sqlite as the database backend. We’ve not tested the other databases supported by Django, though they might also work.

Using SQLite

Follow this section if you want to use SQLite as the Kegbot database. SQLite is considerably simpler than MySQL to setup and maintain.

Install SQLite

Since SQLite operates on a flat file database, it is considerably simpler to set up. Be sure you have the necessary libraries and command-line tools:

% sudo apt-get install python-sqlite

Using MySQL

Follow this section if you prefer to use MySQL as the Kegbot database.

Note

This section is not intended to be a complete guide to installing and maintaining a MySQL server. Generally, there’s not much to it, but if you’re not already familiar with MySQL (or if you encounter problems), we suggest you consult the official documentation for your Linux distro and/or MySQL.

Installing MySQL

If you do not already have a MySQL daemon running on your system, you will need to install it. The following should work on (Debian/Ubuntu):

% sudo apt-get install mysql-server

Once MySQL is installed, confirm it is running by logging in as the ‘root’ MySQL user:

% mysql -u root -p
Enter password:

When prompted for the password, enter the password of the root MySQL user. If you don’t know what this is, or don’t remember setting a password, just hit enter. Depending on your installation, a password may not be required.

You should then see the MySQL welcome message and shell:

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 211
Server version: 5.0.75-0ubuntu10.2 (Ubuntu)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

Your MySQL system seems to be working. Exit the shell:

mysql> exit
Bye
%

Creating the Kegbot database

You now need to create a database within MySQL for Kegbot to use. We will create a new database, named kegbot, with the following command:

% mysqladmin -u root -p create kegbot
Enter password:
%

That’s it; unless you see an error message, the command was successful. Next, verify that the database was created by trying to use it in a MySQL shell:

% mysql -u root -p
Enter password:
Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 218
Server version: 5.0.75-0ubuntu10.2 (Ubuntu)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql> use kegbot
Reading table information for completion of table and column names
You can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A

Database changed
mysql>

Creating the kegbot MySQL user

Finally, create a new MySQL user named kegbot for MySQL access by the Kegbot system:

mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON kegbot.* to kegbot@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'pw';
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.12 sec)

mysql> flush privileges;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.08 sec)

mysql> exit
Bye

Be sure to select a unique password and replace the text 'pw'. You will need this password in the next chapter.

Test your new user account:

% mysql -u kegbot -p kegbot
Enter password:    <---- use password just created
Reading table information for completion of table and column names
You can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A

Welcome to the MySQL monitor.  Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 320
Server version: 5.0.75-0ubuntu10.2 (Ubuntu)

Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql> exit
Bye

Done! You have successfully set up a MySQL database for Kegbot.