Thread: Problem. createdb: could not connect to database postgres: could not connect to server: No such file or directory

Jaisen N.D. wrote:
> Hai, I use Debian Etch. I have a problem with postgresql 8.1. I have
> uninstalled the postgresql-8.3, which I was took from debian back ports,
> removed its configuration files, and the user postgres also.
It sounds like you didn't remove the data directory,
/var/lib/postgresql/data .

By the way, if you want to remove all configuration etc along with a
package you should use apt-get --purge remove .
> initdb: directory "/var/lib/postgresql/data" exists but is not empty
> If you want to create a new database system, either remove or empty
> the directory "/var/lib/postgresql/data" or run initdb
> with an argument other than "/var/lib/postgresql/data".
>
initdb could not create a database cluster because there were files in
/var/lib/postgresql/data . You should rename the `data' directory to
something else or remove it. Removing it will destroy your database.

PostgreSQL 8.1 cannot read data from PostgreSQL 8.3 .

> postgres@localhost:~$ /usr/lib/postgresql/8.1/bin/pg_ctl -D
> /var/lib/postgresql/data -l logfile start
> postmaster starting
>
If you have a look at the postgresql logs you will see that postgresql
failed to start because it cannot read the data in the data directory;
it is for the wrong version of postgresql.

--
Craig Ringer

On Apr 12, 2008, at 7:11 AM, Jaisen N.D. wrote:
> localhost:/home/user# su - postgres
> postgres@localhost:~$ /usr/lib/postgresql/8.1/bin/initdb -D /var/
> lib/postgresql/data
> The files belonging to this database system will be owned by user
> "postgres".
> This user must also own the server process.
>
> The database cluster will be initialized with locale en_IN.
> The default database encoding has accordingly been set to UTF8.
>
> initdb: directory "/var/lib/postgresql/data" exists but is not empty
> If you want to create a new database system, either remove or empty
> the directory "/var/lib/postgresql/data" or run initdb
> with an argument other than "/var/lib/postgresql/data".

It says right here. You forgot to move your old data directory out of
the way. As it's from a Postgres 8.3 installation, Postgres 8.1 has
no way of knowing how to handle what's in there.

> postgres@localhost:~$ /usr/lib/postgresql/8.1/bin/pg_ctl -D /var/
> lib/postgresql/data -l logfile start
> postmaster starting
> postgres@localhost:~$ /usr/lib/postgresql/8.1/bin/createdb test
> createdb: could not connect to database postgres: could not connect
> to server: No such file or directory
>         Is the server running locally and accepting
>         connections on Unix domain socket "/var/run/
> postgresql/.s.PGSQL.5432"?
> postgres@localhost:~$
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Why it can't connect to server? How can I resolve it??


Because initialisation of the database (initdb) failed for the
aforementioned reason. There are probably some messages in your logs
about postgres failing to start or to operate on its data directory.
You can't just run a different major version of postgres on an
existing data directory.

You didn't tell what your goal is. Are you trying to downgrade an
existing database? If so, why would you want to do that?

Alban Hertroys

--
If you can't see the forest for the trees,
cut the trees and you'll see there is no forest.


!DSPAM:737,48008eed927663372713408!

On Sat, Apr 19, 2008 at 10:14:00AM +0530, Jaisen N.D. wrote:
> Hi., Sorry for my late reply, I wasn't on desk for last few days. My goal is
> to set up a spatial database, with postgresql 8.1. I removed the postgresql
> installation using apt-get --purge remove. and removed the
> var/lib/postgresql/data directory. And then reinstalled it again. The result
> I got is here:-

Why are you creating a database here:
> --------------------------------------
> I created data folder again. But When I tried to create a test database, I
> couldn't. Here is the steps I followed:-
> --------------------------------------
> localhost:/home/user# adduser postgres
> adduser: The user `postgres' already exists.
> localhost:/home/user# mkdir /var/lib/postgresql/data
> localhost:/home/user# chown postgres /var/lib/postgresql/data
> localhost:/home/user# su - postgres

When it told you it already created one and it's already running.
> Creating new cluster (configuration: /etc/postgresql/8.1/main, data:
> /var/lib/po stgresql/8.1/main)...

<snip>

> Configuring postgresql.conf to use port 5432...
> Starting PostgreSQL 8.1 database server: main.

Delete directory just created and do this as root:

su - postgres
createuser <your username>
# Say you wanto to be superuser
createdb <database name>

> Where is the problem??
> The logfile in home folder of postgres user is as follows:-
> --------------------------------------
>  LOG:  could not bind IPv4 socket: Address already in use
> HINT:  Is another postmaster already running on port 5432? If not, wait a
> few seconds and retry.

Use the server already running, instead of making another one.

Have a nice day,
--
Martijn van Oosterhout   <kleptog@svana.org>   http://svana.org/kleptog/
> Please line up in a tree and maintain the heap invariant while
> boarding. Thank you for flying nlogn airlines.