another error saying "cannot connect to local mysql server through sockedt ...."
Should I start mysql first and then run ser_mysql.sh. If so what is the command to start mysql.
Most definitely! In redhat, it's /etc/init.d/mysqld start. Not sure about other distro.
I first installed ser-0.8.12-0.i386.rpm then I installed ser-mysql-0.8.12-0.i386.rpm Is this correct packege and steps?
Yes