by Vinod Kurup Skip this section if you will run only Oracle. This page assumes you have downloaded postgresql to /tmp/postgresql-7.2.3.tar.gz. If not, get it. Unpack PostGreSQL. [root@yourserver root]# cd /usr/local/src [root@yourserver src]# tar xzf /tmp/postgresql-7.2.3.tar.gz [root@yourserver src]# cd /usr/local/src tar xzf /tmp/postgresql-7.2.3.tar.gz Create a user and group (if you haven't done so before) for PostgreSQL. This is the account that PostgreSQL will run as since it will not run as root. Since nobody will log in directly as that user, we'll leave the password blank. [root@yourserver src]# groupadd web [root@yourserver src]# useradd -g web -d /usr/local/pgsql postgres [root@yourserver src]# mkdir -p /usr/local/pgsql [root@yourserver src]# chown -R postgres.web /usr/local/pgsql /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3 [root@yourserver src]# chmod 750 /usr/local/pgsql [root@yourserver src]# groupadd web useradd -g web -d /usr/local/pgsql postgres mkdir -p /usr/local/pgsql chown -R postgres.web /usr/local/pgsql /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3 chmod 750 /usr/local/pgsql Set up postgres's environment variables. They are necessary for the executable to find its supporting libraries. For convenience, we'll simply append the necessary lines to the postgres shell config file. [root@yourserver src]# echo "export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/pgsql/lib" >> ~postgres/.bashrc [root@yourserver src]# echo "export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/pgsql/bin" >> ~postgres/.bashrc echo "export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/usr/local/pgsql/lib" >> ~postgres/.bashrc echo "export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/pgsql/bin" >> ~postgres/.bashrc Test this by logging in as postgres and checking the paths; you should see /usr/local/pgsql/bin [root@yourserver src]# su - postgres [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ env | grep PATH LD_LIBRARY_PATH=LD_LIBRARY_PATH=:/usr/local/pgsql/lib PATH=/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/bin/X11:/usr/X11R6/bin:/root/bin:/usr/local/pgsql/bin:/usr/local/pgsql/bin [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ exit Change to the postgres user and run ./configure to set the compilation options automatically. This is the point at which you can configure PostgreSQL in various ways. For example, if you want to enable UnicodeUnicodein PostGreSQL support, add the flags --enable-locale and --enable-multibyte. If you want to see what the other possibilities are, run ./configure --help. [root@yourserver src]# su - postgres [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ cd /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3 [postgres@yourserver postgresql-7.2.3]$ ./configure creating cache ./config.cache checking host system type... i686-pc-linux-gnu (many lines omitted> linking ./src/makefiles/Makefile.linux to src/Makefile.port linking ./src/backend/port/tas/dummy.s to src/backend/port/tas.s [postgres@yourserver postgresql-7.2.3]$ make all make -C doc all make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3/doc' (many lines omitted) make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3/src' All of PostgreSQL successfully made. Ready to install. [postgres@yourserver postgresql-7.2.3]$ make install make -C doc install make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3/doc' (many lines omitted) Thank you for choosing PostgreSQL, the most advanced open source database engine. su - postgres cd /usr/local/src/postgresql-7.2.3 ./configure make all make install The initdb command initializes the database. pg_ctl is used to start up PostgreSQL. [postgres@yourserver tsearch]$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data The files belonging to this database system will be owned by user "postgres". This user must also own the server process. (17 lines omitted) or /usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data -l logfile start [postgres@yourserver tsearch]$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data -l /usr/local/pgsql/data/server.log start postmaster successfully started [postgres@yourserver tsearch]$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data /usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data -l /usr/local/pgsql/data/server.log start PostgreSQL errors will be logged in /usr/local/pgsql/data/server.log Set up plpgsql and allow your user to have access. Plpgsql is a PL/SQL-like language. We add it to template1, which is the template from which all new databases are created. We can verify that it was created with the createlang command in list mode. [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ createlang plpgsql template1 [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ createlang -l template1 Procedural languages Name | Trusted? ---------+---------- plpgsql | t (1 row) [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ createlang plpgsql template1 createlang -l template1 Test PostgreSQL. Create a database and try some simple commands. The output should be as shown. [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ createdb mytestdb CREATE DATABASE [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ psql mytestdb Welcome to psql, the PostgreSQL interactive terminal. Type: \copyright for distribution terms \h for help with SQL commands \? for help on internal slash commands \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query \q to quit mytestdb=# select current_timestamp; timestamptz ------------------------------- 2003-03-07 22:18:29.185413-08 (1 row) mytestdb=# create function test1() returns integer as 'begin return 1; end;' language 'plpgsql'; CREATE mytestdb=# select test1(); test1 ------- 1 (1 row) mytestdb=# \q [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ dropdb mytestdb DROP DATABASE [postgres@yourserver pgsql]$ exit logout [root@yourserver src]# Set PostgreSQL to start on boot. First, we copy the postgresql.txt init script, which automates startup and shutdown, to the distribution-specific init.d directory. Then we verify that it works. Then we automate it by setting up a bunch of symlinks that ensure that, when the operating system changes runlevels, postgresql goes to the appropriate state. Red Hat and Debian and SuSE each work a little differently so three sets of instructions are provided. Red Hat: [root@yourserver src]# cp /tmp/openacs-4-6/packages/acs-core-docs/www/files/postgresql.txt /etc/init.d/postgresql [root@yourserver src]# chown root.root /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql [root@yourserver src]# chmod 700 /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql [root@yourserver src]# cp /tmp/openacs-4-6/packages/acs-core-docs/www/files/postgresql.txt /etc/init.d/postgresql chown root.root /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql chmod 700 /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql Test the script. [root@yourserver root]# service postgresql stop Stopping PostgreSQL: ok [root@yourserver root]# If PostgreSQL successfully stopped, then use the following command to make sure that the script is run appropriately at boot and shutdown. And turn it back on because we'll use it later. [root@yourserver root]# chkconfig --add postgresql [root@yourserver root]# chkconfig --list postgresql postgresql 0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off [root@yourserver root]# service postgresql start Starting PostgreSQL: ok [root@yourserver root]# chkconfig --add postgresql chkconfig --list postgresql service postgresql start Debian: root:~# cp /tmp/openacs-4-6/packages/acs-core-docs/www/files/postgresql.txt /etc/init.d/postgresql root:~# chown root.root /etc/init.d/postgresql root:~# chmod 700 /etc/init.d/postgresql root:~# cp /tmp/openacs-4-6/packages/acs-core-docs/www/files/postgresql.txt /etc/init.d/postgresql chown root.root /etc/init.d/postgresql chmod 700 /etc/init.d/postgresql Test the script root:~# /etc/init.d/postgresql stop Stopping PostgreSQL: ok root:~# If PostgreSQL successfully stopped, then use the following command to make sure that the script is run appropriately at boot and shutdown. root:~# update-rc.d postgresql defaults Adding system startup for /etc/init.d/postgresql ... /etc/rc0.d/K20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc1.d/K20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc6.d/K20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc2.d/S20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc3.d/S20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc4.d/S20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql /etc/rc5.d/S20postgresql -> ../init.d/postgresql root:~# /etc/init.d/postgresql start Starting PostgreSQL: ok root:~# SuSE: I have received reports that SuSE 8.0 is different from previous versions. Instead of installing the boot scripts in /etc/rc.d/init.d/, they should be placed in /etc/init.d/. If you're using SuSE 8.0, delete the rc.d/ part in each of the following commands. root:~# cp /tmp/openacs-4-6/packages/acs-core-docs/www/files/postgresql.txt /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql root:~# chown root.root /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql root:~# chmod 700 /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql Test the script. root:~# /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql stop Stopping PostgreSQL: ok If PostgreSQL successfully stopped, then use the following command to make sure that the script is run appropriately at boot and shutdown. root:~# cd /etc/rc.d/init.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql K20postgresql root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# ln -s /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql S20postgresql root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20postgresql rc2.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20postgresql rc2.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20postgresql rc3.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20postgresql rc3.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20postgresql rc4.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20postgresql rc4.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp K20postgresql rc5.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# cp S20postgresql rc5.d root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# rm K20postgresql root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# rm S20postgresql root:/etc/rc.d/init.d# Test configuration. root:/etc/rc.d/init.d # cd root:~ # /etc/rc.d/init.d/rc2.d/S20postgresql start Starting PostgreSQL: ok root:~ # From now on, PostgreSQL should start automatically each time you boot up and it should shutdown gracefully each time you shut down. (Note: Debian defaults to starting all services on runlevels 2-5. Red Hat defaults to starting services on 3-5. So, on Red Hat, PostgreSQL won't start on runlevel 2 unless you alter the above commands a little. This usually isn't a problem as Red Hat defaults to runlevel 3) Official PostgreSQL Docs Migrating from 7.0 to 7.1 techdocs.postgresql.org PostgreSQL Performance Tuning ($Id: postgres.xml,v 1.5.2.2 2003/03/30 05:56:18 joela Exp $)