Ask HN: Editing SQL DB via Remote desktop? (minor emergency)

[mr_bill]

I apologize in advance for the stupidity of this but maybe the task will be interesting for someone.

I'm a web designer who's setting up a Wordpress site for a client. Our hosting situation is not good and the sysadmin is not helpful.

There are two rows in a specific table of the Wordpress site that I need to edit in order to get it working, however I don't have phpmyadmin or another gui to edit the DB. I'm able to remote desktop into the server with the DB on it, but I have no idea what to do with the .FRM and .MYD files. I'm in way over my head on this one and the sysadmin's not interested in helping.

Anyone have 10 minutes to troubleshoot this over gchat?

[tyohn]

How quick this was answered/people helped is remarkable. Kudos to the HN community! Maybe there's a startup idea here - or maybe it already exists. Typically I spend hours searching for answers online to programming/tech questions or I end up chatting to a guru friend of mine - for the answers.

[mattyb]

StackOverflow?

[piers]

My advice - leave the .FRM and .MYD files well alone. If you can remote desktop in (is it running on a windows server?) then bring up a command prompt and edit it using that. Have a look at this - http://www.makeyougohmm.com/20040609/806/

My second piece of advice would be to get a better host and sysadmin...

[piers]

[e-mail] is the gtalk email address

[flooha]

Invited you on google talk, but you're listed as not connected.

[piers]

Sorry, forgot I wasn't connected...

[ErrantX]

The server should have the standard cmdline MYSQL admin installed on it (one imagines).

Try opening a command prompt and running:

  mysqladmin

[obviously with username and password] If it is there us should let you run the SQL commands you want. (ref: http://www.manpagez.com/man/1/mysqladmin/)

If you want an SQL prompt then mysql on the commandline (will 100% be there) will work

  mysql -u <user> -p <password>

http://www.manpagez.com/man/1/mysql/

[mr_bill]

doesn't appear to have mysqladmin on it.

i've downloaded some mysql guis and am e-mailing them to myself so I can get them onto the server. I found a few portable ones so I don't have to install anything and tick them off.

[ErrantX]

it should have mysql - that is part of the standard install package (I think it's auto installed too).

but eyh - your way sounds like a good methid, esp if your happier with a GUI

[flooha]

connect command: mysql -u<username> -p<password> <database_name>

update command: update <table_name> set <column> = '<your_change>' where <some_column> = <some_condition>;

[flooha]

user: flooha on google talk.

[mr_bill]

just invited you