Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock'

[Mike]

I've installed MySQL-4.0.14 under RedHat 8, using both rpm's and compiling
from source. When I try to run MySQL, I get the following error: Can't
connect to local MySQL server through socket '/tmp/mysql.sock'

After much searching on Google, and reading many newsgroup threads on this
error, as well as reading the manual, I'm still stumped. Most of the
advice I've found suggests that the path to mysql.sock is wrong, which
makes sense, but I don't have the file mysql.sock anywhere on my machine,
so obviously I can't correct the path.

Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Mike
--
the Moum's
Tipp City, Ohio, USA