how to run a database off an external harddrive?

i've got mysql 5.0 and I have 50 million records in a text file on an
external USB 2.0 hard drive. I can import the file into a mySQL
database on my laptop - but I don't want the database on my laptop. I
want that database to be physically located on that usb connected hard
drive instead of my laptop. Can anyone tell me how to set up the
database on my laptop, but with a physical location of the data on the
external hard drive? Oh - not that it helps, but I'm using Navicat (my
first day using it).

Thanks!
jason shohet

Re: how to run a database off an external harddrive?

sorry it posted twice :)
I have another aspect to the question. If I just copy the 'data'
directory (MySQL Server 5.0/data) onto the external hard drive, and
then I delete that directory on my laptop.... and then a month from now
I copy that data directory back from the external hard drive onto my
laptop where mySQL is located -- can I start from where I left off.
Is that a good way of restoring my database. My problem is that due to
some constraints, I'm not allowed to leave this building with the
database on my laptop. So I'm thinking - I copy the entire data
directory onto the external hard drive, then copy it back afterwards
and hopefully all my tables / data will be there (?)

thanks again

Re: how to run a database off an external harddrive?

xz wrote:
> sorry it posted twice :)
> I have another aspect to the question. If I just copy the 'data'
> directory (MySQL Server 5.0/data) onto the external hard drive, and
> then I delete that directory on my laptop.... and then a month from now
> I copy that data directory back from the external hard drive onto my
> laptop where mySQL is located -- can I start from where I left off.
> Is that a good way of restoring my database. My problem is that due to
> some constraints, I'm not allowed to leave this building with the
> database on my laptop. So I'm thinking - I copy the entire data
> directory onto the external hard drive, then copy it back afterwards
> and hopefully all my tables / data will be there (?)
>
> thanks again
>

You can copy the data directory that way, however, make sure mysql is
not running when you do it.