# Innobackupex backup \[ERROR\] failed to set datadir to /var/lib/mysql/\]

**URL:** <https://forums.percona.com/t/innobackupex-backup-error-failed-to-set-datadir-to-var-lib-mysql/24282>\
**Category:** Percona XtraBackup\
**Created:** [August 7, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/innobackupex-backup-error-failed-to-set-datadir-to-var-lib-mysql/24282 "2023-08-07T17:38:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![seqwait](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/seqwait/32/12115_2.png) [@seqwait](https://forums.percona.com/u/seqwait)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/innobackupex-backup-error-failed-to-set-datadir-to-var-lib-mysql/24282/1 "2023-08-07T17:38:27Z")

</div>

xtrabackup version: 2.4  
mysql version: 5.7

I follow the document backup my database and restore it, but it’s something wrong

**step1 Backup server1 mysql5.6**

```auto
innobackupex --defaults-file=~/.my.cnf \
--datadir=/alidata1/mysql_multi/data3307/mydata/ \
--backup /data/backups/

```

**step2: copy backup file to server2**

**step3: prepare the backup**

```auto
xtrabackup --prepare --target-dir=/data/backups/2023-08-07_23-52-16

```

**step4: set server2 mysql5.7**

```auto
service mysqld stop
rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/*

```

**step5: xtrabackup copy back**

```auto
xtrabackup --copy-back --target-dir /data/backups/2023-08-07_23-52-16/

```

**step:5 restart mysql5.7**

```auto
chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql/*
service mysqld start

```

**the journalctl -xe**

```auto
-- Unit mysqld.service has begun starting up.
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: mysqld: Can't change dir to '/var/lib/mysql/' (Errcode: 13 - Permission denied)
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.738901Z 0 [Warning] TIMESTAMP with implicit DEFAULT value is deprecated. Please use --explicit_defaults_for_timestamp server option (see documentation for more details).
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.739176Z 0 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/vm1.lower-test
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.739257Z 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld (mysqld 5.7.43) starting as process 19217 ...
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.742877Z 0 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/vm1.lower-test
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.742942Z 0 [Warning] Can't create test file /var/lib/mysql/vm1.lower-test
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.743058Z 0 [ERROR] failed to set datadir to /var/lib/mysql/
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.743085Z 0 [ERROR] Aborting
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.743137Z 0 [Note] Binlog end
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: 2023-08-07T17:35:52.743229Z 0 [Note] /usr/sbin/mysqld: Shutdown complete
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 systemd[1]: mysqld.service: control process exited, code=exited status=1
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: Initialization of mysqld failed: 0
Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 systemd[1]: Failed to start MySQL Server.
-- Subject: Unit mysqld.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/systemd-devel

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Marcelo\_Altmann](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forums.percona.com/marcelo_altmann/32/11299_2.png) [@Marcelo\_Altmann](https://forums.percona.com/u/Marcelo_Altmann)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2023, 6:02pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/innobackupex-backup-error-failed-to-set-datadir-to-var-lib-mysql/24282/2 "2023-08-07T18:02:45Z")

</div>

Hi @seqwait

First, please do not use innobackupex anymore, this is not related to your problem, but this tool is no longer maintained and on 2.4 you should be using xtrabackup --backup.

Comming to your problem, seems like the mysql user is not able to change dir to /var/lib/mysql:

> Aug 08 01:35:52 vm1 mysqld[19214]: mysqld: Can’t change dir to ‘/var/lib/mysql/’ (Errcode: 13 - Permission denied)

Even thought you changed the permissions on every file or folder inside /var/lib/mysql/\* it seems like the root directory is still owned by someone else, or your are configuring mysqld service to use other user.

Can you please try:  
`sudo chown -R mysql.mysql /var/lib/mysql/` - note that here we are not doing the `/*` part.