Unable to start MySQL service: InnoDB: Waiting for the background threads to start

Updated April 05, 2023 04:03

Plesk for Linux kb: technical ABT: Group A

Applicable to:

Unable to start MySQL service with the following error shown in a loop:

InnoDB: Waiting for the background threads to start.

MySQL misconfiguration.

Connect to the server via SSH;
Edit configuration file /etc/my.cnf (for CentOS) or /etc/mysql/my.cnf (for Ubuntu/Debian) using vi editor and add the following option in [mysqld] section:

CONFIG_TEXT: innodb_purge_threads=0

Note: if the MySQL version is >=5.6.5, set this value to 1. MySQL version may be found in Tools & Settings > Server Components.
Start MySQL service:

For CentOS:

# service mariadb start

For Ubuntu/Debian:

# service mysql start