Re: changing user id - Mailing list pgsql-novice

From Russell Davie
Subject Re: changing user id
Date
Msg-id 20060530191930.7273449f@localhost.localdomain
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: changing user id  (Mark Kelly <pgsql@wastedtimes.net>)
List pgsql-novice
On Tue, 30 May 2006 06:30:34 +0100
Mark Kelly <pgsql@wastedtimes.net> wrote:

> On Tuesday 30 May 2006 03:57, Tom Lane wrote:
> > Russell Davie <rjrd@exemail.com.au> writes:
>
> > > hope this is the right list to ask this question...
>
> You might have been better off on the Ubuntu list, but it's one of those
> questions that could go either way :)
>
> Here it is, in case you want to join up:
> http://www.ubuntu.com/community/lists

thanks, have done so


>
> > > postgres@XXXXX:~$ /etc/init.d/postgresql-7.4 start
> > > chmod: changing permissions of `/var/run/postgresql': Operation not
> > > permitted * Starting PostgreSQL 7.4 database server:main
> > > Error: Could not change user id
> > > [fail]
> >
> > init scripts generally expect to be launched as root.  Perhaps
> >  sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-7.4 start
>
> That should fix the error above, as long as you run it from a user account
> that is in the sudoers file (which the user postgres isn't on Ubuntu). Your
> main user account will be.

PostgreSQL will not start for root user in Ubuntu or for a user who is listed in sudoers file

as root or as a sudoer:
XXX@XXXX:~$ sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-7.4 start
 * Starting PostgreSQL 7.4 database server:main
pg_ctl: cannot be run as root
Please log in (using, e.g., "su") as the (unprivileged) user that will
own the server process.                    [fail]

> > would work better.  Actually, I believe that on modern systems
> > you're not really supposed to invoke an init script directly like
> > that at all, but instead through the "service" program;
> "service" is not part of the vanilla Ubuntu install (I've only seen it on
> redhat-based systems). The first suggestion you made is the right one for
> Ubuntu.

The "service" is a feature of Red Hat based Linux distributions and not used by Ubuntu, which is based on Debian which
usesa different way to start processes. 
This script is what is started at boot up, and here I have done it at CLI to show the output of what happens at boot.

- Russell




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