Are mysql global variables values in bytes?

Question

When I run the following in my mysql terminal

mysql> SHOW GLOBAL VARIABLES LIKE 'tmp_table_size';
+----------------+----------+
| Variable_name | Value |
+----------------+----------+
| tmp_table_size | 16777216 |
+----------------+----------+
1 row in set (0.01 sec)

This is probably very oblivious but is the value 16777216 in bytes? I just want to be sure and can't seem to find a definitive answer on the web.

Is this the same for all values? Such as query_cache_size & query_cache_limit

I need to know this to set up a Amazon RDS Param group.

Answer 1

Yes, it is bytes. You also can not set anything other like

set session tmp_table_size = 8k;

This is only possible in configuration files. But you can do something like

set session tmp_table_size = 8 * 1024;

• Holly: @tomborn, thanks. BTW way I'm needed to know this to set up a Amazon RDS Param group.