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Thread: Port Bug Report: postgresql Won't Start

Port Bug Report: postgresql Won't Start

From
Unprivileged user
Date:
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                        POSTGRESQL BUG REPORT TEMPLATE
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Your name               : Joe Noble
Your email address      : joseph.a.noble@lmco.com

Category                : install: other
Severity                : non-critical

Summary: postgresql Won't Start

System Configuration
--------------------
  Operating System   : Linux RH 6.0

  PostgreSQL version : 6.5.1

  Compiler used      : none

Hardware:
---------
Acer 120MHx Aspire with 64MB memory and 2.1 GB HD.

Versions of other tools:
------------------------
N/A

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Problem Description:
--------------------
After installing RH6.0, on a new harddisk, to replace RH5.2 which
replaced RH5.0, postgresql will not start.  This was not a problem
with either of the previous versions.  Apparently the expected
directories and file are not being created.  This problem appeared
when I installed RH6.0 which supposedely came with postgresql
6.4.2.  In an attempt to fix the problem, I deinstalld all the
6.4.2 files using rpm and tried to load the 6.5.1 Beta which I
downloaded from this site.  I received the same type of error
message.  The message says:

Starting postgresql service: /usr/bin/postmaster does not find the database system.  Expected to find it in the PGDATA
directory"/var/lib/pgsql", but unable to open file with pathname "/var/lib/pgsql/base/template1/pg_class". 

No data directory -- can't proceed.
postmaster []


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Test Case:
----------
Try installing either 6.4.2 or 6.5.1 where there is no existing
database file from the rpms.

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Solution:
---------
Include the necessary data directories and file(s)?

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Re: [PORTS] Port Bug Report: postgresql Won't Start

From
Thomas Lockhart
Date:
> System Configuration
> --------------------
>   Operating System   : Linux RH 6.0
>   PostgreSQL version : 6.5.1
> Solution:
> ---------
> Include the necessary data directories and file(s)?

Well, you still need to do a couple of things to get Postgres going;
reading the installation instructions in the docs will help even
though you are installing from an rpm.

In particular, you probably need to run initdb to initialize the
database system, and you probably need to edit the
/etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql.init (maybe it doesn't have the .init?) to
make sure it points to the right places.

Postgres can potentially carry a *large* amount of data, much more so
than any other app packaged as an rpm. So it isn't as easy to make
assumptions about where data will go, whether you will have disk space
on /tmp to hold database dumps, etc. So it doesn't fit quite a
comfortably into an rpm as other packages might.

We are currently working on these installation issues for rpms, but my
feeling is you won't be able to get away from it entirely.

btw, it isn't clear to me from your report which "6.5.1beta" rpm you
actually have and from which site you got it.

Good luck.

                    - Thomas

--
Thomas Lockhart                lockhart@alumni.caltech.edu
South Pasadena, California