>I installed MySQL server 5.0 on a USB key. If I plug the key in another
>computer runnng XP, start the server, run some queries, do some
updates, stop the server and remove the key, will it leave any traces
on that computer!?!?!?
Assuming that the USB storage device is G: on one computer and R:
on the other, I'm not sure how you do this seamlessly without a
startup script to rewrite my.cnf files or passing appropriate
parameters to put the data directory, log files, temporary files,
etc. all on the USB device). You need to tell MySQL where to put
temporary files and tables (on the USB device).
You *WILL* have tracks left:
- Swap/page file
- Cached pages from the USB drive in the Windows buffer cache (RAM)
- Anything left behind by the clients (deleted disk files, windows
with text in them, swap/page space, command-line client history
file, output from queries if not erased, etc. if they don't also
use the USB device)
- Does MySQL on Windows use the event logger? Logged events might indicate
you were using MySQL, but probably very little about the data.
- Any copies of stuff on the USB drive snarfed while it was plugged in
by viruses, spyware, etc.
These aren't particularly MySQL-dependent: if you try the same thing
with a text or image editor or encryption program on a USB drive you'll
have the same issues.
How paranoid do you need to be?
