Re: Fw: Please Help - Mailing list pgsql-general

Sure did help me! Thanks! Since Debian does a lot of that stuff for you it's
hard to follow along the instructions because they assume a source compile
and install. The Debian related docs should say "After you've done 'apt-get
install postgresql', just do the 'su postgres' part." So thanks again!

Russell

____________________________________________________
  _its_ (no apostrophe) means "the thing that it owns"
  _it's_ (with apostrophe) means "it is"


----------
>From: will trillich <will@serensoft.com>
>To: pgsql-general@postgreSQL.org
>Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Fw: Please Help
>Date: Wed, Mar 14, 2001, 1:01 PM
>

> On Wed, Mar 14, 2001 at 12:25:31PM -0800, keith wrote:
>> I am lost. I am a developer, new to Linux and to postgreSQL.
>
> boy, you're in for a juorney. linux, after intimate familiarity
> with mac os or windon't, will seem like you've been thrown into a
> wet dungeon, blindfolded and naked. everything you seek is
> already in there, but you'll have difficulty in finding it. don't
> give up hope -- askthe right questions and you'll do fine...
>
>> I am trying to install postgreSQL on a linux machine. Every
>> command I try to run gives me a command not found error. I
>> cannot seem to do anything. I tried running all the commands. I
>> tried being the root user as well as other users, no
>> difference. I tried going to the scr directory and 'make all'
>> still nothing. I see the html documents and can run them, but
>> that is it.
>>
>> Does anyone have any advice for someone who is an idiot when it
>> comes to this???
>
> yes.
>
> to answer the next question, "what should i look for?" i'd
> try these -- and these are merely guesses:
>
>
> - don't forget that linux is a multi-user system; user "doogie"
>   may have priviliges to get into the database, where user
>   "biscuit" has access to the printer... each user/login has to
>   be set up with memberships in the necessary groups and have the
>   necessary environment attributes, and so forth.
>
> NOTE -- i use debian "potato" (2.2) so any specific paths i offer
> will work if yuo're no the same distribution, and might not apply
> otherwise. your mileage is likely to vary.
>
> - the documents (/usr/share/doc/postgres*/ or /usr/doc/postgres*/)
>   will give you hints on what went where. short of that, you can
>   find files on your own:
>
>  locate postmaster   <-- if you've done 'updatedb' as root lately
>  find / -name psql -print    <-- if your machine has nothing
>                                  better to do
>
> - your $PATH might not include the postgres-specific directories.
>   for postgresql users, make sure their environment is properly
>   set at login (in ~/.bashrc or, for tcsh users, ~/.login) via
>   something like
>
>  source /etc/postgresql/postmaster.init
>
>   or at least
>
>  # bash:
>  export PATH="/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/:$PATH"
>  # csh:
>  setenv PATH "/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/:$PATH"
>
> - there's also some other environment variables to consider
>   including
>
>  PGDATA=/var/postgres/data
>  PGLIB=/usr/lib/postgresql/lib
>
>   but i think these are more for setting up your postgresql
>   environment itself, as opposed to a user's environment who's
>   trying to connect with postgresql.
>
> - once you can find the commands, you'll need to get going on
>   database security and access. the only user that postgres knows
>   about initially is user "postgres". (duh!) so
>
>    % su
>  root password:
>  # su postgres
>  $ psql
>
>   now you can get in and set a password for master-database user
>   postgres (so nobody else can scramble your tables) and create
>   normal users, giving them access to various abilities, like
>   database creation, table insertion and selection, yada yada.
>
>   (hmm! maybe even this will work, initially:
>  /path/to/psql -u postgres
>   but then again it may not.)
>
> - again, once you can find the documentation that came with
>   postgresql, it'll guide you as to what should be where, and how
>   to get it all to work.
>
>   even tho it's a mountain of info, what you see really is likely
>   to be in there.  to see if a text file contains a string, try
>
>  grep -i 'shortsearchstring' *file*pattern*
>
>
> hth!
>
> --
> It is always hazardous to ask "Why?" in science, but it is often
> interesting to do so just the same.
>   -- Isaac Asimov, 'The Genetic Code'
>
> will@serensoft.com
> http://newbieDoc.sourceforge.net/ -- we need your brain!
> http://www.dontUthink.com/ -- your brain needs us!
>
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 2: you can get off all lists at once with the unregister command
>     (send "unregister YourEmailAddressHere" to majordomo@postgresql.org)