Load the Clone plugin¶

You cannot use the --plugin-load-add option to load the clone plugin during an upgrade from a previous MySQL version. Attempting to do so will raise an error. Upgrade the server first, then start it with plugin-load-add=mysql_clone.so.

Load the plugin¶

Locate the Plugin Library File: Ensure the plugin library file (mysql_clone.so) is in the MySQL plugin directory (plugin_dir system variable). Set plugin_dir at server startup if necessary.

At server startupAt runtime

Load the Plugin at Server Startup: Use the --plugin-load-add option to name the library file. Add the following lines to your my.cnf file:

[mysqld]
plugin-load-add=mysql_clone.so

Restart the server to apply the new settings.

Load the Plugin at Runtime: Alternatively, you can load the plugin at runtime with the following SQL statement:

INSTALL PLUGIN clone SONAME 'mysql_clone.so';

This command loads the plugin and registers it in the mysql.plugins table, ensuring it loads automatically at subsequent server startups without --plugin-load-add.

Verify Plugin installation¶

Check the INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PLUGINS table or use the SHOW PLUGINS statement to verify the plugin installation:

SELECT PLUGIN_NAME, PLUGIN_STATUS
FROM INFORMATION_SCHEMA.PLUGINS
WHERE PLUGIN_NAME = 'clone';

If the plugin fails to initialize, check the server error log for diagnostic messages.

Control plugin activation state¶

If the plugin is registered with INSTALL PLUGIN or loaded with --plugin-load-add, use the --clone option at server startup to control its activation state. To load the plugin at startup and prevent it from being removed at runtime, add these options:

[mysqld]
plugin-load-add=mysql_clone.so
clone=FORCE_PLUS_PERMANENT

To prevent the server from running without the clone plugin, use --clone with FORCE or FORCE_PLUS_PERMANENT. These options ensure the server startup fails if the plugin does not initialize successfully.