diff --git a/mysql-test/lib/v1/mysql-test-run.pl b/mysql-test/lib/v1/mysql-test-run.pl
index e9a264ac60b..b903f50568a 100755
--- a/mysql-test/lib/v1/mysql-test-run.pl
+++ b/mysql-test/lib/v1/mysql-test-run.pl
@@ -2372,8 +2372,11 @@ sub remove_stale_vardir () {
 	mtr_report("WARNING: Using the 'mysql-test/var' symlink");
 
 	# Make sure the directory where it points exist
-	mtr_error("The destination for symlink $opt_vardir does not exist")
-	  if ! -d readlink($opt_vardir);
+        if (! -d readlink($opt_vardir))
+        {
+          mtr_report("The destination for symlink $opt_vardir does not exist; Removing it and creating a new var directory");
+          unlink($opt_vardir);
+        }
 
 	foreach my $bin ( glob("$opt_vardir/*") )
 	{
@@ -2432,8 +2435,11 @@ sub setup_vardir() {
       #  it's a symlink
 
       # Make sure the directory where it points exist
-      mtr_error("The destination for symlink $opt_vardir does not exist")
-	if ! -d readlink($opt_vardir);
+      if (! -d readlink($opt_vardir))
+      {
+        mtr_report("The destination for symlink $opt_vardir does not exist; Removing it and creating a new var directory");
+        unlink($opt_vardir);
+      }
     }
     elsif ( $opt_mem )
     {
diff --git a/sql/mysqld.cc b/sql/mysqld.cc
index c0afe0e3717..1d8a352b97e 100644
--- a/sql/mysqld.cc
+++ b/sql/mysqld.cc
@@ -707,6 +707,7 @@ char mysql_real_data_home[FN_REFLEN],
      language[FN_REFLEN], reg_ext[FN_EXTLEN], mysql_charsets_dir[FN_REFLEN],
      *opt_init_file, *opt_tc_log_file,
      def_ft_boolean_syntax[sizeof(ft_boolean_syntax)];
+const char *opt_basename;
 char mysql_unpacked_real_data_home[FN_REFLEN];
 int mysql_unpacked_real_data_home_len;
 uint reg_ext_length;
@@ -3509,7 +3510,6 @@ static int init_common_variables(const char *conf_file_name, int argc,
 				 char **argv, const char **groups)
 {
   char buff[FN_REFLEN], *s;
-  const char *basename;
   umask(((~my_umask) & 0666));
   tzset();			// Set tzname
 
@@ -3569,13 +3569,13 @@ static int init_common_variables(const char *conf_file_name, int argc,
     strmake(glob_hostname, STRING_WITH_LEN("localhost"));
     sql_print_warning("gethostname failed, using '%s' as hostname",
                         glob_hostname);
-    basename= "mysql";
+    opt_basename= "mysql";
   }
   else
   {
-    basename= glob_hostname;
+    opt_basename= glob_hostname;
   }
-  strmake(pidfile_name, basename, sizeof(pidfile_name)-5);
+  strmake(pidfile_name, opt_basename, sizeof(pidfile_name)-5);
   strmov(fn_ext(pidfile_name),".pid");		// Add proper extension
 
   /*
@@ -4305,11 +4305,13 @@ a file name for --log-bin-index option", opt_binlog_index_name);
         require a name. But as we don't want to break many existing setups, we
         only give warning, not error.
       */
-      sql_print_warning("No argument was provided to --log-bin, and "
-                        "--log-bin-index was not used; so replication "
-                        "may break when this MySQL server acts as a "
-                        "master and has his hostname changed!! Please "
-                        "use '--log-bin=%s' to avoid this problem.", ln);
+      sql_print_warning("No argument was provided to --log-bin and "
+                        "neither --log-basename or --log-bin-index where "
+                        "used;  This may cause repliction to break when this "
+                        "server acts as a master and has its hostname "
+                        "changed!! Please use '--log-basename=%s' or "
+                        "'--log-bin=%s' to avoid this problem.",
+                        opt_basename, ln);
     }
     if (ln == buf)
     {