Thread: PGS Tuning Wizard destroys my login

Hi,

On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 10:48 AM, Jennifer Trey <jennifer.trey@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi,
> What does the Tuning Wizard do? The one you can run on PGS ? Does it just
> touch up the postgresql.conf ? Does it play with other stuff as well?

It only touches postgresql.conf, and only after you're given a chance
to review those changes.

> I am asking because, every time I run the wizard I cannot login with the
> password I choose when I installed PGS. What is going on? Replacing the
> generated postgresql.conf with the old to "go back" does not help either.
> First time I reformatted my whole disk, and tried install PGS and ran Tuning
> Wizard again. Same thing happened!

If replacing postgresql.conf with the old version doesn't help, then
it's clearly not the tuning wizard at fault.

> This time I just uninstalled, and installed PGS again without the tuning
> wizard and I haven't had any problems since, but I need the tuning!
>
> The un-installation left some of the Data files behind, which i cannot
> delete, I have not access to them, but I am logged in as Administrator.
> What is going on!?

Just take ownership of them and then delete them.


--
Dave Page
EnterpriseDB UK:   http://www.enterprisedb.com

Look, I am telling now what I did. 

I don't want to hear claims about how its not the tuning wizards fault. It is! 

And it does more than the postgresql.conf because thats not true.
Just until today I have been able to login and logout, using pgAdmin to my DB. 

Now, after considering what you said, I tried once more! And I am getting tired of this whole process. 

I installed the tuning wizard. I got myself a new postgresql.conf and it renamed the old one which I noted. 

I opened my pgAdmin, logged in, worked fine (I guess the changes require some kind of restart). I restarted my computer and we are back with the old pattern where I cannot login, not with pgAdmin, not with my java-app and not with sql shell : 
Username [postgres]:
psql: could not connect to server: Connection refused (0x0000274D/10061)
  Is the server running on host "localhost" and accepting
  TCP/IP connections on port 5432?

Press any key to continue . . .

looking at the pgadmin.log i see this :
2009-04-08 02:03:01 ERROR : server closed the connection unexpectedly
 This probably means the server terminated abnormally
 before or while processing the request.

I replaced the new postgresql.conf with the old one. Restarted my computer again. And still the problems are there. Last time I had to uninstall postgre (the time before I reformatted the computer) .. so I would like this to work this time around.

About taking ownership, its not working for me either, (I am trying to delete the data folder that was left from the previous installation) but it refuses to let me delete two folders (base, pg_log) but I guess thats more a windows server issue.
Lets concentrate on the first problem.

How can I fix it ?
/ Jennifer

On Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 12:16 PM, Jennifer Trey <jennifer.trey@gmail.com> wrote:
> Look, I am telling now what I did.
>
> I don't want to hear claims about how its not the tuning wizards fault. It
> is!
>
> And it does more than the postgresql.conf because thats not true.

I'm sorry to hear you think I'm being untruthful. The source code for
the tuning wizard is at
http://www.enterprisedb.com/openDownloads.do?productId=417&redirectReason=true&productVersion=otherDownload
- you can see exactly what it modifies there.

--
Dave Page
EnterpriseDB UK:   http://www.enterprisedb.com

Hehe, I am not saying that you are untruthful, but obviously there is more to this issue than just the .conf file.

Because when returning to the old conf the problem is still there and I am also certain that this problem was not there before I just installed the tuning wizard.

Would you at least agree that there is something fishy going on, and that its related to the tuning wizard? Things seldom work as expected

I just un-installed the tuning-wizard (I still have the generated config file, so I dont have to repeat this step once more), restarted, the problem is still there. The problem does not seem to be login related. But more to that the server doesn't start up. 

Running the program, 'Start Server', it just sits there and does nothing. After long time it says: 

The service did not report an error.

More help is available by typing NET HELPMSG 3534 

Not sure what is going on. Server refuses to start it seems. Please help me debug this problem :)

Sincerely / Jen

On Wed, Apr 08, 2009 at 02:16:35PM +0300, Jennifer Trey wrote:
> looking at the pgadmin.log i see this :
> 2009-04-08 02:03:01 ERROR : server closed the connection unexpectedly
>  This probably means the server terminated abnormally
>  before or while processing the request.

Why aren't you looking at the postmaster's log?  Not sure where this
lives under Windows, but it should tell you why the server is closing
the connection.

--
  Sam  http://samason.me.uk/

Jenifer;

Can you send a copy of both your before and after config files to the list?

On Wednesday 08 April 2009 05:16:35 Jennifer Trey wrote:
> Look, I am telling now what I did.
>
> I don't want to hear claims about how its not the tuning wizards fault. It
> is!
>
> And it does more than the postgresql.conf because thats not true.
> Just until today I have been able to login and logout, using pgAdmin to my
> DB.
>
> Now, after considering what you said, I tried once more! And I am getting
> tired of this whole process.
>
> I installed the tuning wizard. I got myself a new postgresql.conf and it
> renamed the old one which I noted.
>
> I opened my pgAdmin, logged in, worked fine (I guess the changes require
> some kind of restart). I restarted my computer and we are back with the old
> pattern where I cannot login, not with pgAdmin, not with my java-app and
> not with sql shell :
> Username [postgres]:
> psql: could not connect to server: Connection refused (0x0000274D/10061)
> Is the server running on host "localhost" and accepting
> TCP/IP connections on port 5432?
>
> Press any key to continue . . .
>
> looking at the pgadmin.log i see this :
> 2009-04-08 02:03:01 ERROR : server closed the connection unexpectedly
> This probably means the server terminated abnormally
> before or while processing the request.
>
> I replaced the new postgresql.conf with the old one. Restarted my computer
> again. And still the problems are there. Last time I had to uninstall
> postgre (the time before I reformatted the computer) .. so I would like
> this to work this time around.
>
> About taking ownership, its not working for me either, (I am trying to
> delete the data folder that was left from the previous installation) but it
> refuses to let me delete two folders (base, pg_log) but I guess thats more
> a windows server issue.
> Lets concentrate on the first problem.
>
> How can I fix it ?
> / Jennifer

Jennifer,

obviously you are on windows. And the problem you are describing seems to be:

"after running the tuning wizzard, the PostgreSQL Service does not start any more"

AT the same time you are describing some problem of

"you are not able to delete some Files / Directories connected with PostgreSQL-Databases, and you are not able to change ownership / take ownership of those files."

THAT gives reason to the assumption that you are using something Vistaish or Windows-7ish.

AND that the right structure of your file system around PostgreSQLs Files is rather screwed; not clear, by what or who.

SO, to help you to get to some solution:

1.) you should state the exact version of your operating system
2.) you should state the exact PostgreSQL Version
3.) exactly describe your Windows Authorization. Is there some Domain / ActiveDirectory going on? Do you really have MasterChiefAdministrator rights?

and to continue your diagnostics:

4.) Check the application event log of windows. "eventvwr" from the Command line, or dig through the Administration Panels
5.) Check for the logfiles of PostgreSQL within the pg_log directory.

Most likely reason is that postgres.exe is not allowed to open some file or port; to write to a log file or read it's databases or even read its configuration file postgresql.conf

So, next of this: check the file-ownerships and rights of your PostgreSQL Data directory. Especially, is the user owning the postgresql service allowed to read an change all the files within the PostgreSQL Data directory? Especially the postgresql.conf?

Best luck,

Harald







--
GHUM Harald Massa
persuadere et programmare
Harald Armin Massa
Spielberger Straße 49
70435 Stuttgart
0173/9409607
no fx, no carrier pigeon
-
LASIK good, steroids bad?

I just tried to change the permission on all users, admin to user to postgres. Access Denied for all! The machines have taken over!

It seems like my long message didnt make it :S Here it is again. (Perhaps it was because of the attached pic, I will leave it out this time)

Jennifer,


Now it's you and windows. Good luck!

Harald

--
GHUM Harald Massa
persuadere et programmare
Harald Armin Massa
Spielberger Straße 49
70435 Stuttgart
0173/9409607
no fx, no carrier pigeon
-
LASIK good, steroids bad?

After doing allot of clicks with the permissions. It automagically fixed itself. Fantastic!

The root problem was Windows itself!

I would recommend the EnterpriseDB folks to consider this though, because in someway its affecting your software.

Thank you all. Now join my new thread for real discussions, instead of problem solving :)

Jennifer Trey wrote:
> *As far as I know, *I have one user and that is the Administrator. Not
> sure if that is the commander in chief but obviously not, because he
> is screwing with me allot.

unlike Unix derivatives, the Windows Administrator account does NOT have
file access override rights, it has to obey rights just like any other
user.   The one special power Adminstrator does have is the right to
change file ownership, but they made this as obfuscated as possible.

The standard Windows PostgreSQL install creates a special unprivileged
user 'postgres' which must own the data directory and have read/write
access to all files in it, and is used to run the postgresql server
process.   This postgres account needs and has no special privileges,
except the right to run as a service.

In Unix derived systems, when you update an existing file, it tends to
NOT create a new file, just replace the data in the existing file, so by
default ownership and privileges remain the same.    In Windows,
instead, its more common to create a new file, then remove the old one
and rename the new one, this means when user X edits an existing file,
he tends to end up being the owner.      So, if user "Administrator"
runs this tuning tool, odds are pretty good that user running the tool
will own the postgresql.conf file it creates.   AFAIK, there's no
special requirement that Postgres owns this file, it just needs read
privileges, so I'd check the file access rights after running the tool.
yeah, I just checked on my XP system here, my own account 'owns' the
file, but the postgres user has modify/read/write/execute privileges on it.

    C:\> cacls D:\postgres\8.3\data\postgresql.conf
    D:\postgres\8.3\data\postgresql.conf BUILTIN\Administrators:F
                                     NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM:F
                                     PORKER\pierce:F
                                     BUILTIN\Users:R
                                     PORKER\postgres:C

one method of 'fixing' this, then, would be...

    C:\> cacls \path\to\data\postgresq.conf /e /g:postgres:RWC

now try starting the postgres service process...
    C:\> net start pgsql-8.3
    The PostgreSQL Database Server 8.3 service is starting.
    The PostgreSQL Database Server 8.3 service was started successfully.

I had the same problem as OP.

With Windows 7 x64 & postgresql Version 8.3.7-1

It seems like running tuning wizard changes the permissions of the
postgres.conf file so that the .postgres account is not able to read it.

Similar to OP's situation, postgres was working fine until ran the tuning
wizard at which point the server wouldn't start (after rebooting)

EntrepriseDB should definitly look into this because it's quite difficult
for non-experts like myself to debug.

Error message i get in even viewer:

FATAL:  could not open configuration file "C:/Program Files
(x86)/PostgreSQL/8.3/data/postgresql.conf": Permission denied


This problem was solved (after quite a few hours of research, and a few
trials and errors) by changing the owner of the data folder of postgres to
the postgres account.


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Sent from the PostgreSQL - general mailing list archive at Nabble.com.

I had the same problem as OP.

With Windows 7 x64 & postgresql Version 8.3.7-1

It seems like running tuning wizard changes the permissions of the
postgres.conf file so that the .postgres account is not able to read it.

Similar to OP's situation, postgres was working fine until ran the tuning
wizard at which point the server wouldn't start (after rebooting)

EntrepriseDB should definitly look into this because it's quite difficult
for non-experts like myself to debug.

Error message i get in even viewer:

FATAL:  could not open configuration file "C:/Program Files
(x86)/PostgreSQL/8.3/data/postgresql.conf": Permission denied


This problem was solved (after quite a few hours of research, and a few
trials and errors) by changing the owner of the data folder of postgres to
the postgres account.


--
View this message in context: http://www.nabble.com/PGS-Tuning-Wizard-destroys-my-login-tp22947007p23713659.html
Sent from the PostgreSQL - general mailing list archive at Nabble.com.