Fun with caching_sha2_password in MySQL 8.0.11

I want to get benchmark numbers with MySQL 8.0.11. This is my first impression. The default auth method was changed to caching_sha2_password. See this post for more details. There will be some confusion with this change. By confusion I mean the difference between "error" and "OK because cached" below. I am not alone. See the experience that an expert had with replication.

Fun with caching_sha2_password occurs even with clients compiled as part of 8.0.11:

1. install MySQL 8.0.11, disable SSL but use mostly default my.cnf
2. bin/mysql -u... -p... -h127.0.0.1 -e ... -> error
3. bin/mysql -u... -p... -e ... -> OK
4. bin/mysql -u... -p... -h127.0.0.1 -e ... -> OK because cached

The error in step 2 is: ERROR 2061 (HY000): Authentication plugin 'caching_sha2_password' reported error: Authentication requires secure connection.

From show global variables I see the default is caching_sha2_password:

default_authentication_plugin   caching_sha2_password

Setting this in my.cnf after I created the user doesn't fix the problem. Setting this before creating the user is one fix. I did not test whether changing the value of user.plugin to "mysql_native_password" is another workaround.

default_authentication_plugin=mysql_native_password

The error when using an old mysql client will also be a source of confusion:

$ ~/b/orig5635/bin/mysql -u... -p.. -h127.0.0.1
ERROR 2059 (HY000): Authentication plugin 'caching_sha2_password' cannot be loaded: /home/mdcallag/b/orig5635/lib/plugin/caching_sha2_password.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory