Thread: Attention of all PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 Windows Installer

Attention of all PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 Windows Installer

From
Ilias Goudaropoulos
Date:
I am writing to you all just to inform you of a bug(probably), that I
came across while trying to install PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 on WinXP with
SP2, using the PostgreSQL installer.

I had done a windows clean install and then installed straight away
PostgreSQL 8.0.4.  It was the only software installed on windows and
worked perfectly.  After a day or two, I noticed that the PostgreSQL
8.1.0-2 was released. I decided two uninstall PostgreSQL 8.0.4 and
install the new 8.1.0-2 version.

So I did, using the following unistall procedure:

1.  I unistalled PostgreSQL 8.0.4 form the control panel in the usual
manner that all windows application are uninstalled.
2.  I used the Computer Management program of the Administrative Tools
of windows and deleted the PostgreSQL user that had been created during
the installation of PostgreSQL 8.0.4.
3.  Finally, I removed all garbage left by the uninstaller in the registry.
4.  I restarted windows.

I have to stress that I did not have any other software installed on
windows at the moment and I had the Windows firewall service disabled.

So I tried to install the new version 8.1.0-2 but got an error.  I tried
at least 15 times and I always got the same error.  The error was
manifesting itself during the installation as follows:

************************************************************
During the "Activating procedural languages" installation
part, I get:

"Failed to connect to the database.  Procedural
languages files are installed, but are not activated in
any databases."

When I press OK it continues and I get:

"server closed the connection unexpectedly
This probably means the server terminated
abnormally before or while processing the request."

When I press OK again, it continues and I get:

"Failed to connect to the 'template1' database.  Contrib
files are installed, but are not activated in any databases."

Pressing OK for a final time gives me this:

"could not send startup packet: Connection reset by
peer (0x00002746/10054)"
**************************************************************

I uninstalled the 8.1.0-2 PostgreSQL which was not working and I tried
to install again the 8.0.4, as someone in the novice mailing list
suggested.  The 8.0.4 installer worked fine and I had PostgreSQL 8.0.4
up and running in no time.

Then I uninstalled 8.0.4 and tried to install 8.1.0-2 for a last time.
The same errors appeared once again.

After another suggestion from someone in the novice mailing list, I
tried to reinstall the 8.0.4 and use the upgrade script of 8.1.0-2 to
upgrade to the required version without using the installer. That worked
fine and I had 8.1.0-2 up and running.

*************************************************************
If that is not a bizzare behaviour of the installer, what is?
*************************************************************

So I suggest that you, the developers of the windows installer, have a
serious look in the way the installer works and see if that is a bug of
the installer.  If it is I am sure you will fix it in no time.

The same problem appeared when some people I know tried to install
PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 as well. But they did not have the time nor the
inclination to make this known to the public by posting to the mailing
lists.

I urge you to take this mail seriously because it may be that this
installation problem is more spread than we think of.

Thank you for your time and I hope I will hear from the people involved
in the development of the PostgreSQL Windows Installer very soon.

____________________________________________________________________
http://www.freemail.gr - äùñåÜí õðçñåóßá çëåêôñïíéêïý ôá÷õäñïìåßïõ.
http://www.freemail.gr - free email service for the Greek-speaking.

Re: Attention of all PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 Windows Installer

From
"Magnus Hagander"
Date:
> I have to stress that I did not have any other software
> installed on windows at the moment and I had the Windows
> firewall service disabled.
>
> So I tried to install the new version 8.1.0-2 but got an
> error.  I tried at least 15 times and I always got the same
> error.  The error was manifesting itself during the
> installation as follows:

When this happened, did you get anything in the eventlog? Or in the
pg_log subdirectory of the instlalation?

These errors indicates a proper install where the server crashes after
install, and not a problem with the installer specifically.


> **************************************************************
>
> I uninstalled the 8.1.0-2 PostgreSQL which was not working
> and I tried to install again the 8.0.4, as someone in the
> novice mailing list suggested.  The 8.0.4 installer worked
> fine and I had PostgreSQL 8.0.4 up and running in no time.
>
> Then I uninstalled 8.0.4 and tried to install 8.1.0-2 for a
> last time.
> The same errors appeared once again.

Did you install it into the default directory, or a different one? Was
this directory completely empty when you started?
(This goes for both the base dir of the install and the data directory)

>
> After another suggestion from someone in the novice mailing
> list, I tried to reinstall the 8.0.4 and use the upgrade
> script of 8.1.0-2 to upgrade to the required version without
> using the installer. That worked fine and I had 8.1.0-2 up
> and running.

Uh, what upgrade script is that? There is no upgrade script from 8.0.4
to 8.1.0.

The proper upgrade path is:
1) pg_dump your old version
2) (optionally) uninstall the old version. At least stop it, or place
the two versions listening on different TCP ports.
3) Install the new vgersion
4) reload your dump from step 1 into the new version


Did you perform all these steps in order?


//Magnus

Re: Attention of all PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 Windows Installer

From
Ilias Goudaropoulos
Date:
I agree that these errors indicate a proper install where the server
crashes after install.  That is exactly what happens.

But! That bizzare behaviour does not manifest itself when using the
installers of previous versions of PostgreSQL.

For all versions of PostgreSQL that I have successfully installed so far
(8.0.4 and all others prior to that), I used the folder "C:\Program
Files\Postgresql\" for the PostgrerSQL files and the folder "D:\DBASES\"
for the database files.  I tried the default folders as well but it did
not make any difference.

When I say script I mean the batch file that comes in the PostgreSQL
8.1.0-2 zip file.

I did not have to follow the steps you mention because I did not care
about the database I had running on PostgrSQL 8.0.4.

I unistalled the 8.0.4 version completely and deleted all database files
and folders. I.e. "D:\DBASES\" and "C:\Program Files\Postgresql\", which
is actually deleted automatically by the unistaller.

I hope the above info will be of some use to you.
Regards, Ilias

____________________________________________________________________
http://www.freemail.gr - äùñåÜí õðçñåóßá çëåêôñïíéêïý ôá÷õäñïìåßïõ.
http://www.freemail.gr - free email service for the Greek-speaking.

Re: Attention of all PostgreSQL 8.1.0-2 Windows Installer

From
"Magnus Hagander"
Date:
> I agree that these errors indicate a proper install where the
> server crashes after install.  That is exactly what happens.
>
> But! That bizzare behaviour does not manifest itself when
> using the installers of previous versions of PostgreSQL.
>
> For all versions of PostgreSQL that I have successfully
> installed so far
> (8.0.4 and all others prior to that), I used the folder
> "C:\Program Files\Postgresql\" for the PostgrerSQL files and
> the folder "D:\DBASES\"
> for the database files.  I tried the default folders as well
> but it did not make any difference.
>
> When I say script I mean the batch file that comes in the PostgreSQL
> 8.1.0-2 zip file.

This script is only for upgrading from previous 8.1 releases. I beleive
it says so in the readme file.


> I did not have to follow the steps you mention because I did
> not care about the database I had running on PostgrSQL 8.0.4.
>
> I unistalled the 8.0.4 version completely and deleted all
> database files and folders. I.e. "D:\DBASES\" and "C:\Program
> Files\Postgresql\", which is actually deleted automatically
> by the unistaller.

The d:\dbases wasn't removed, right? But you did it manually, so that
rules out that part.

Did you manage to capture any of that log information?

//Magnus