problem with initdb

On 01/07/2014 09:11 AM, Susan Cassidy wrote:

I ran an initdb, but got a message that the Encoding I specified was
invalid, so I tried to run it again, and now I get:

initdb: directory "/var/lib/pgsql/data" exists but is not empty
If you want to create a new database system, either remove or empty
the directory "/var/lib/pgsql/data" or run initdb
with an argument other than "/var/lib/pgsql/data".

The only thing in the $PGDATA directory are the pg_hba.conf and
postgresql.conf files.

If you want the *.conf files move them somewhere else, otherwise delete
them. The $PGDATA directory needs to totally empty for an initdb to proceed.

If I try to run a pg_ctl start, I get this:
17271 2014-01-07 09:10:15.060 PST FATAL: "/var/lib/pgsql/data" is not
a valid data directory
17271 2014-01-07 09:10:15.060 PST DETAIL: File
"/var/lib/pgsql/data/PG_VERSION" is missing.

The initdb did not complete so the necessary file are not there. Empty
the directory and redo the initdb.

What can I do?

This is postgres 8.4, which is the only version currently available for
Scientific Linux in its repository.

Thanks,
Susan

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If it were me, I'd probably do something like (my id is not root, but I can
use sudo to run something as root)

sudo mv -vn /var/lib/pgsql/data /var/lib/pgsql/data-old
sudo su - postgres #change to user postgres
initdb
pg_ctl start
exit #exit back to my id, from being postgres

If you need to, after doing the "initdb", compare the pg_hba.conf and
postgresql.conf files in the two directories (/var/lib/pgsql/data and
/var/lib/pgsql/data-old

On Tue, Jan 7, 2014 at 11:11 AM, Susan Cassidy <
susan.cassidy@decisionsciencescorp.com> wrote:

I ran an initdb, but got a message that the Encoding I specified was
invalid, so I tried to run it again, and now I get:

initdb: directory "/var/lib/pgsql/data" exists but is not empty
If you want to create a new database system, either remove or empty
the directory "/var/lib/pgsql/data" or run initdb
with an argument other than "/var/lib/pgsql/data".

The only thing in the $PGDATA directory are the pg_hba.conf and
postgresql.conf files.

If I try to run a pg_ctl start, I get this:
17271 2014-01-07 09:10:15.060 PST FATAL: "/var/lib/pgsql/data" is not a
valid data directory
17271 2014-01-07 09:10:15.060 PST DETAIL: File
"/var/lib/pgsql/data/PG_VERSION" is missing.

What can I do?

This is postgres 8.4, which is the only version currently available for
Scientific Linux in its repository.

Thanks,
Susan

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Wasn't there something about a PASCAL programmer knowing the value of
everything and the Wirth of nothing?

Maranatha! <><
John McKown