run second mysql instance on a different port

I already have a mysqld running on port 3306 on my linux system and want a second instance on a different port. This is a totally different instance, I don't want it to share data tables or anything else with the first instance. I tried running mysqld --defaults-file=config.conf where config.conf is my other config file with the new port and datadir, tried using absolute paths, everything, and kept getting this error: Could not open required defaults file: /PATH_TO_FILE/config.conf Fatal error in defaults handling. Program aborted Can anyone please help me? Everything about --defaults-file I find is about windows, how do I specify a custom config file on linux? Or is it possible to use the --datadir command line option (is there a command line option to specify the port also?) and would that create a totally unrelalted instance of mysqld?

From serverfault $pageUsers[$entry.posts[0].author].name

• Does your path contain a tilde (~)? http://bugs.mysql.com/bug.php?id=20597

  Alternately, does the user MySQL runs as have permission to access the file?

  Roy : Could SELINUX be blocking access?

  Brendan Long : I don't really know anything about SELinux. I just meant that if your config file isn't owned by mysql you might need to change the owner: `sudo chown mysql filename` (I don't actually know what user MySQL runs as on your system)
  From Brendan Long

• take a look at mysql sandbox. it seems this might be a solution you're looking for.

  From pQd

• are you providing the complete /path/to/config.conf ?

  From gWaldo