Live MySQL Validation

The inno validate subcommand cross-validates on-disk tablespace files against live MySQL metadata. It detects orphan files, missing tablespaces, and space ID mismatches between the filesystem and MySQL's internal registry.

Note: MySQL cross-validation requires the mysql feature. Build with:
cargo build --release --features mysql

Quick Start

Scan a data directory without MySQL (disk-only mode):

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql

Cross-validate against a live MySQL instance:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root

Modes

Disk-Only Mode

Without MySQL connection options, validate scans for .ibd files and reports what it finds on disk:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql

This lists each tablespace file with its space ID (read from page 0). Useful for quick inventory without a running MySQL instance.

MySQL Cross-Validation Mode

With --host and --user (or --defaults-file), validate queries INFORMATION_SCHEMA.INNODB_TABLESPACES and compares the results against disk:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root --password secret

Filter to a specific database:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root -D mydb

Deep Table Validation

The --table flag performs deep validation of a specific table, verifying index root pages and space ID consistency:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root --table mydb.users

This checks:

The .ibd file exists at the expected path
The space ID in the file matches MySQL's registry
Each index root page exists and contains a valid INDEX page
Row format consistency between MySQL and the on-disk file

What Gets Detected

Finding	Description
Orphan files	`.ibd` files on disk that have no matching entry in MySQL's tablespace registry
Missing files	Tablespaces registered in MySQL but with no corresponding `.ibd` file on disk
Space ID mismatches	Files where the on-disk space ID differs from MySQL's recorded space ID
Invalid index roots	Root pages that don't exist or aren't INDEX pages (--table mode)

JSON Output

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root --json

The cross-validation report includes:

{
  "disk_files": 42,
  "mysql_tablespaces": 42,
  "orphans": [],
  "missing": [],
  "mismatches": [],
  "passed": true
}

Connection Options

Option	Description
`--host`	MySQL server hostname or IP
`--port`	MySQL server port (default: 3306)
`--user` / `-u`	MySQL username
`--password` / `-p`	MySQL password
`--defaults-file`	Path to MySQL defaults file (`.my.cnf`)

You can also use a defaults file:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --defaults-file ~/.my.cnf

Common Use Cases

Post-Migration Check

After migrating tablespace files or restoring from backup, verify that all files match MySQL's internal state:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root --json

Orphan File Cleanup

Find .ibd files left behind after DROP TABLE operations that didn't fully clean up:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root -v

Orphan files are listed with their paths and space IDs for manual review.

Disaster Recovery Triage

After a crash, quickly assess whether all tablespaces match MySQL's expectations:

inno validate -d /var/lib/mysql --host 127.0.0.1 --user root

A FAIL result with missing files indicates tablespaces that MySQL expects but cannot find, which may need restoration from backup.

IDB Utils Documentation