Based on a modified version of the Opscode mysql cookbook for installing mysql-server, but taking into account the specific version of the server software we want to install. Starting around https://github.com/opscode-cookbooks/mysql/blob/master/recipes/server.rb#L94

gistfile1.txt

# Inspired by https://github.com/opscode-cookbooks/pxe_dust/blob/master/recipes/bootstrap_template.rb#L33
# Thanks to Matt Ray <matt@opscode.com>, in Message-ID: <e85b33cc5b72421ab3ba9c0f325fe84f@CO1PR06MB078.namprd06.prod.outlook.com>

ruby_block "find-closest-matching-full-version" do
    block do
        aptitude = "aptitude show mysql-server=#{req_params['engVers']} | grep '^Version: ' | sed 's/^Version: //' | grep \"^#{req_params['engVers']}\""
        Chef::Log.debug aptitude
        cmd = Mixlib::ShellOut.new(aptitude)
        output = cmd.run_command
        Chef::Log.debug output.stdout.chomp
        node.set['engAvail'] = output.stdout.chomp
        Chef::Log.debug("node['engAvail']='#{node['engAvail']}'")
    end
    not_if { File.exists? "/rdsdbdata/first_run" }
end

package "mysql-server" do
    if(!node['engAvail'].nil?)
        Chef::Log.debug("node['engAvail']='#{node['engAvail']}'")
        Chef::Log.debug("req_params['engVers']='#{req_params['engVers']}'")
        version node['engAvail']
    else    
        if(!req_params['engVers'].nil?)
            Chef::Log.debug("req_params['engVers']='#{req_params['engVers']}'")
            Chef::Log.debug("node['engAvail']='#{node['engAvail']}'")
            version req_params['engVers']
        else    
            Chef::Log.debug("Both '#{req_params['engVers']}' and '#{node['engAvail']}' are nil")
        end     
    end
    action :nothing
    subscribes :install, 'ruby_block[find-closest-matching-full-version]', :immediate
    not_if { File.exists? "/rdsdbdata/first_run" }
end