title: phpmyadmin ignores config.inc.php
body: <p>I have a phpmyadmin installation on a Debian Server and it seems to me like phpmyadmin is ignoring the /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php.</p>
  
  <p>I created a user which should only be able to read one database. When I login to phpmyadmin I get the error message:</p>
  
  <pre><code>Connection for controluser as defined in your configuration failed.
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So I checked the configuration file. In my case it should be /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php</p>
  
  <p>Right now (after many changes) this file contains this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>$i = 0;
  
  $i++;
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'cookie';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['host'] = 'localhost';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['connect_type'] = 'tcp';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['compress'] = false;
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['extension'] = 'mysqli';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = false;
  
  $cfg['UploadDir'] = '';
  $cfg['SaveDir'] = '';
  
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['favorite'] = 'pma__favorite';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['usergroups'] = 'pma__usergroups';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['central_columns'] = 'pma__central_columns';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['designer_settings'] = 'pma__designer_settings';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['export_templates'] = 'pma__export_templates';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['savedsearches'] = 'pma__savedsearches';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['navigationhiding'] = 'pma__navigationhiding';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['users'] = 'pma__users';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['usergroups'] = 'pma__usergroups';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pmadb'] = 'phpmyadmin';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] = 'phpmyadmin';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] = 'secret_password';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['bookmarktable'] = 'pma__bookmark';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['relation'] = 'pma__relation';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['userconfig'] = 'pma__userconfig';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_info'] = 'pma__table_info';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['column_info'] = 'pma__column_info';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['history'] = 'pma__history';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['recent'] = 'pma__recent';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_uiprefs'] = 'pma__table_uiprefs';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['tracking'] = 'pma__tracking';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['table_coords'] = 'pma__table_coords';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['pdf_pages'] = 'pma__pdf_pages';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['designer_coords'] = 'pma__designer_coords';
  $cfg['Servers'][$i]['hide_db'] = '^(information_schema|performance_schema|mysql|phpmyadmin)$';
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The access permission to this file is set like this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>-rw-r--r--   1 root     root     config.inc.php
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I changed the ownership of this file to www-data:www-data without success.
  I am able to login as user phpmyadmin and edit the database via phpmyadmin, so the credentials should be ok.
  I created and inserted the user pma with no success.</p>
  
  <p>In /var/lib/phpmyadmin/ there is another empty config.inc.php</p>
  
  <pre><code>-rw-r-----  1 root     www-data    0 Jan 28  2014 config.inc.php
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>The problem is now, that when I login as the user with read access only, I am not able to browse any database. If I try I get the error:</p>
  
  <pre><code>#1142 - INSERT,DELETE command denied to user xxx for table 'pma__recent'
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I have to give the user access to the db phpmyadmin to be able to read the database. Which I do not want to.</p>
  
  <p>After giving access to phpmyadmin database I tried to at least hide the database. Without success.</p>
  
  <p>I read the whole internet, I tried everything, I checked everything. Or apparently not.</p>
  
  <p>Is there a way (log file, debug mode, whatever) to check if the config file and which config file is proceeded by phpmyadmin?</p>
  
  <p>Does anybody find my mistake in this configuration?</p>
  
  <p>Debian version is 7.11.
  Server version: 5.5.53-0+deb8u1 - (Debian)
  phpmyadmin version: 4.2.12deb2+deb8u2</p>
  
  <p>Thanks,</p>
  
  <p>Jaroslaw</p>