1. Stop mysql
# /etc/init.d/mysql stop
2. Start mysql without password:
# mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables &
3. Connect to mysql server
# mysql -u root
4. Update root password
mysql> use mysql;
mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD(“new_password”) where User=’root’;
mysql> flush privileges;
mysql> quit
5. Restart mysql
# /etc/init.d/mysql stop
# /etc/init.d/mysql start
6. Connect mysql using new password
# mysql -u root -p