In order to log into MariaDB to secure it, we'll need the current password for the root user. If you've just installed MariaDB, and you haven't set the root password yet, the password will be blank, so you should just press enter here. Enter current password for root (enter for none): ERROR 1524 (HY000): Plugin 'xxxxxxx' is not loaded Enter current password for root (enter for none): I've purged the install of mariadb and reinstalled. Same thing. Running 20.04.5 Ubuntu. I have run into this in the past but was able to fix it then covid brain set in and it's tuesday.
If you remove with apt remove --purge it should remove all configuration files, too, and thus even old password is erased. I may not have installed mariadb on Ubuntu, but I guess it coerses to set db root password during installation, or set a password which is shown during installation. So if you manage to completely purge the old mariadb installation or start a new installation on empty disk, read closely what is shown on screen and cut and paste the password for safe keeping. It is also possible to reset the database root password, instructions can be found using Internet Search Engines. Is this the OS root user or database root password?
I found the problem. Purge didn't do it. I tried the bobcares tutorial. Didn't work. What did work what logging on to webmin and running out all of the mariadb and sql* programs. It had somehow installed both maria and mysql. So to avoid the problem in the instructions for the installation of ispconfig3 with Ubuntu 20.04 is to install mariadb but don't change the "echo "update mysql.user set plugin = 'mysql_native_password' where user='root';" | mysql -u root" mysql_native_password' as it tries to create a module called whatever your password is and craps out. That cured it.
But that instructions has been used by a thousand successful ISPConfig users on Ubuntu. So it would be strange if it now is wrong. Are you sure the command you issued was exactly this: Code: echo "update mysql.user set plugin = 'mysql_native_password' where user='root';" | mysql -u root and all in one line?
The command is fine, but he also mentions that he installed MySQL, which means he either run it towards MySQL and not MariaDB or he installed the wrong MariaDB version by adding a different repository. The instructions in the tutorial are working fine, but if you don't follow them exactly by installing different software or different versions, they will fail.