# mysql server not starting, mysqld\_safe returns error

**URL:** <https://forums.percona.com/t/mysql-server-not-starting-mysqld-safe-returns-error/1895>\
**Category:** Other MySQL® Questions\
**Created:** [September 14, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/mysql-server-not-starting-mysqld-safe-returns-error/1895 "2012-09-14T16:33:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![daveo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@daveo](https://forums.percona.com/u/daveo)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/mysql-server-not-starting-mysqld-safe-returns-error/1895/1 "2012-09-14T16:33:14Z")

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Hello all.

Having a weird problem that started today.

Working on an AWS instance, I rebooted the instance and mysql did not start. After much trouble shooting I got it down to mysqld\_safe in /usr/bin. When I try and run mysqld\_safe (/etc/init.d/mysql calls this I believe) in /usr/bin I get get this:

120914 17:14:23 mysqld\_safe Logging to ‘/var/log/mysql/error.log’.  
expr: syntax error  
120914 17:14:23 mysqld\_safe Starting mysqld daemon with databases from /var/lib/mysql  
120914 17:14:23 mysqld\_safe mysqld from pid file /var/lib/mysql/LSFS-WEB-OPS.pid ended

Notice the “expr: syntax error”

When I run /usr/sbin/mysqld directly mysql starts up and I can connect.

Nothing has changed on the system or especially that file so I am at a loss for what is going on.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Daveo

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![daveo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@daveo](https://forums.percona.com/u/daveo)\
**Post date:** [September 14, 2012, 4:34pm UTC](https://forums.percona.com/t/mysql-server-not-starting-mysqld-safe-returns-error/1895/2 "2012-09-14T16:34:17Z")

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Meant to include the version: Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.5.23, for Linux (x86\_64) using readline 5.1  
Ubuntu Lucid