5.1. The MySQL Server

Startup options that the server supports. You can specify these options on the command line, through configuration files, or both.

Server system variables. These variables reflect the current state and values of the startup options, some of which can be modified while the server is running.

Server status variables. These variables contain counters and statistics about runtime operation.

How to set the server SQL mode. This setting modifies certain aspects of SQL syntax and semantics, for example for compatibility with code from other database systems, or to control the error handling for particular situations.

The server shutdown process. There are performance and reliability considerations depending on the type of table (transactional or nontransactional) and whether you use replication.