22.1.3. Connector/ODBC Installation

22.1.3.1. Installing Connector/ODBC on Windows
22.1.3.2. Installing Connector/ODBC on Unix
22.1.3.3. Installing Connector/ODBCon Mac OS X
22.1.3.4. Building Connector/ODBC from a Source Distribution on Windows
22.1.3.5. Building Connector/ODBC from a Source Distribution on Unix
22.1.3.6. Building Connector/ODBC from a Source Distribution on Mac OS X
22.1.3.7. Installing Connector/ODBC from the Development Source Tree

This section explains where to download Connector/ODBC, and how to run the installer, copy the files manually, or build from source.

Where to Get Connector/ODBC

You can get a copy of the latest version of Connector/ODBC binaries and sources from our Web site at http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/connector/odbc/.

For more information about Connector/ODBC, visit http://www.mysql.com/products/myodbc/.

For more information about licensing, visit http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/licensing/.

Choosing Unicode or ANSI Driver

Connector/ODBC offers the flexibility to handle data using any character set through its Unicode-enabled driver, or the maximum raw speed for a more limited range of character sets through its ANSI driver. Some users postponed their upgrade to Connector/ODBC 5.1, remaining with the older 3.51 version to keep this performance edge. As of Connector/ODBC 5.2, both kinds of drivers are available based on the 5.x code base: you can choose either a Unicode-enabled driver or an ANSI driver on the download page. The Unicode-enabled driver, recommended for most users, has no special qualifier in the download filename. The ANSI driver includes -ansi- in the download filename.

Note

You can install either the Unicode driver on a Windows system, or the ANSI driver, or both. The drivers are distinguished in the list of installed software and in the names of libraries and directories by a w (for "wide characters") for the Unicode driver, and a in the ANSI driver.

Choosing Binary or Source Installation Method

You can install the Connector/ODBC drivers using two different methods:

The binary installation is the easiest and most straightforward method of installation. You receive all the necessary libraries and other files pre-built, with an installer program or batch script to perform all necessary copying and configuration.
The source installation method is intended for platforms where a binary installation package is not available, or in situations where you want to customize or modify the installation process or Connector/ODBC drivers before installation.

If a binary distribution is not available for a particular platform, and you build the driver from the original source code, you can contribute the binaries you create to MySQL by sending a mail message to <myodbc@lists.mysql.com>, so that it becomes available for other users.

Supported Platforms

Connector/ODBC can be used on all major platforms supported by MySQL. You can install it on:

Windows XP, 2003, Vista and 7.
All Unix-like Operating Systems, including: Amiga, BSDI, DEC, FreeBSD, HP-UX 10/11, Linux, NetBSD, OpenBSD, OS/2, SGI Irix, Solaris, SunOS, SCO OpenServer, SCO UnixWare, Tru64 Unix.
Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server.

Note

On all non-Windows platforms except Mac OS X, the driver is built against unixODBC and is expecting a 2-byte SQLWCHAR, not 4 bytes as iODBC is using. For this reason, the binaries are only compatible with unixODBC; recompile the driver against iODBC to use them together. For further information, see Section 22.1.2.1.2, "ODBC Driver Managers".

For further instructions, consult the documentation corresponding to the platform where you are installing and whether you are running a binary installer or building from source:

Platform	Binary Installer	Build from Source
Windows	Installation Instructions	Build Instructions
Unix/Linux	Installation Instructions	Build Instructions
Mac OS X	InstallationInstructions