🔴 Critical   ⏱ 5–30 min  Last verified: 20 May 2026
Affected versions: FreeBSD 13

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents
  1. Symptom & Impact
  2. Environment & Reproduction
  3. Root Cause Analysis
  4. Quick Triage
  5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
  6. Solution – Primary Fix
  7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
  8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
  9. Rollback Plan
  10. Prevention & Hardening
  11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
  12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

After power loss, MariaDB on FreeBSD 13 may refuse startup until storage engine recovery completes.

Environment & Reproduction

service mysql-server start fails and error logs show InnoDB corruption or redo log mismatch.

Root Cause Analysis

Unclean shutdown can leave inconsistent transactional state, corrupted ib_logfile, or permission issues.

Quick Triage

Check service mysql-server onestatus, inspect error log under /var/db/mysql, and verify filesystem integrity.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Take backup copies of data directory and logs before repair attempts. image_ref=0

Illustrative mockup for freebsd-13 — terminal_or_shell
Managing mysql service and recovery commands — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Primary Fix

Use safe recovery mode options, run mysqlcheck as needed, then return to normal startup and validate tables. image_ref=1

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Illustrative mockup for freebsd-13 — log_or_config
Reviewing MariaDB error log and my.cnf options — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Persist startup with sysrc mysql_enable=”YES” and manage runtime via service mysql-server restart.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Tune my.cnf for crash-safe settings and ensure datadir permissions match mysql user ownership.

Rollback Plan

If remote clients connect, verify pf allows database access only from trusted source ranges.

Prevention & Hardening

Run mysqladmin ping, sample queries, and application smoke tests for read and write paths.

Use UPS protections, backups, and monitor database error logs with alert thresholds.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-13.

View all freebsd-13 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Refer to MariaDB recovery docs, FreeBSD service management, and storage engine troubleshooting guides.

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