Problem of the day, DESC gives error.

I hit this interesting problem last night on 5.0.51a.

mysql> use information_schema;
mysql> desc routines;
ERROR 1 (HY000): Can't create/write to file '/home/tmp/#sql_fea_1.MYD' (Errcode: 24)
mysql> show create table routinesG
*************************** 1. row ***************************
       Table: ROUTINES
Create Table: CREATE TEMPORARY TABLE `ROUTINES` (
  `SPECIFIC_NAME` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '',
  `ROUTINE_CATALOG` varchar(512) default NULL,
  `ROUTINE_SCHEMA` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '',
  `ROUTINE_NAME` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '',
  `ROUTINE_TYPE` varchar(9) NOT NULL default '',
  `DTD_IDENTIFIER` varchar(64) default NULL,
  `ROUTINE_BODY` varchar(8) NOT NULL default '',
  `ROUTINE_DEFINITION` longtext,
  `EXTERNAL_NAME` varchar(64) default NULL,
  `EXTERNAL_LANGUAGE` varchar(64) default NULL,
  `PARAMETER_STYLE` varchar(8) NOT NULL default '',
  `IS_DETERMINISTIC` varchar(3) NOT NULL default '',
  `SQL_DATA_ACCESS` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '',
  `SQL_PATH` varchar(64) default NULL,
  `SECURITY_TYPE` varchar(7) NOT NULL default '',
  `CREATED` datetime NOT NULL default '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
  `LAST_ALTERED` datetime NOT NULL default '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
  `SQL_MODE` longtext NOT NULL,
  `ROUTINE_COMMENT` varchar(64) NOT NULL default '',
  `DEFINER` varchar(77) NOT NULL default ''
) ENGINE=MyISAM DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8;

I tried in on my MySQL 5.1 server without incident. In a few minutes of thinking about it, I was unable to determine the problem. Anybody care to guess?

Tagged with: Databases MySQL Uncategorized

Related Posts

Improving your MySQL Security Posture Presentation

Improving your MySQL Security Posture Presentation

At the MySQL BR Conference 2025 I had the opportunity to speak about Improving Your MySQL Security Posture. You can find a copy of my slides on my Presentations , and a Portugese (Brazil) translation.

Read more
MySQL and Heatwave Summit Presentation

MySQL and Heatwave Summit Presentation

Last week I had the opportunity to speak at the MySQL and Heatwave Summit in San Francisco. I discussed the impact of the new MySQL 8.0 default caching_sha2_password authentication, replacing the mysql_native_password authentication that was the default for approximately 20 of the 30 years that MySQL has existed.

Read more
Readyset QueryPilot Announcement

Readyset QueryPilot Announcement

At the MySQL and Heatwave Summit 2025 today, Readyset announced a new data systems architecture pattern named Readyset QueryPilot . This architecture which can front a MySQL or PostgreSQL database infrastructure, combines the enterprise-grade ProxySQL and Readyset caching with intelligent query monitoring and routing to help support applications scale and produce more predictable results with varied workloads.

Read more