When you use the InnoDB storage engine 1.1 and above, with MySQL 5.5 and above, you do not need to do anything special to install: everything comes configured as part of the MySQL source and binary distributions. This is a change from earlier releases of the InnoDB Plugin, where you were required to match up MySQL and InnoDB version numbers and update your build and configuration processes.

The InnoDB storage engine is included in the MySQL distribution, starting from MySQL 5.1.38. From MySQL 5.1.46 and up, this is the only download location for the InnoDB storage engine; it is not available from the InnoDB web site.

If you used any scripts or configuration files with the earlier InnoDB storage engine from the InnoDB web site, be aware that the filename of the shared library as supplied by MySQL is ha_innodb_plugin.so or ha_innodb_plugin.dll, as opposed to ha_innodb.so or ha_innodb.dll in the older Plugin downloaded from the InnoDB web site. You might need to change the applicable file names in your startup or configuration scripts.

Because the InnoDB storage engine has now replaced the built-in InnoDB, you no longer need to specify options like --ignore-builtin-innodb and --plugin-load during startup.

Prior to MySQL 5.5.5, we recommended specifying the following options in your configuration file. In MySQL 5.5.5 and higher, these settings are the default.

default-storage-engine=InnoDB
innodb_file_per_table=1
innodb_file_format=barracuda
innodb_strict_mode=1

Tables created with the Barracuda file format are incompatible with InnoDB versions prior to the InnoDB Plugin. Tables in the Barracuda format can be compressed, and can store portions of long columns off-page, outside the B-tree nodes.

The new InnoDB strict mode guards SQL or certain operational errors that otherwise generate warnings and possible unintended consequences of ignored or incorrect SQL commands or parameters. As described in Section 13.7.8.4, “InnoDB Strict Mode”, the GLOBAL parameter innodb_strict_mode can be set ON or OFF. You can also use the command SET SESSION innodb_strict_mode=mode (where mode is ON or OFF) to enable or disable InnoDB strict mode on a per-session basis.