Re: Programmatically changing passwords

David Leangen <postgres(at)leangen(dot)net> writes:
> I am trying to build an RPM package that will put my Postgres
> installation into a known (usable) state, without requiring any
> interaction.

> To this effect, I need to do the following:

> 1. set password for superuser

Basically, you can't. The entire concept of RPM is built around
the assumption that there is no user interaction during an RPM
install or update. (Do "yum update" after not having done it for
awhile ... watch several hundred package updates go by ... now
imagine that each one of those felt that it could demand some input
from you. Multiply by 10 if doing a system install from scratch.)

The standard RPM-ization of Postgres does not actually have any
superuser password set at all: you pretty much have to be root
to get into the database the first time. Considering you also
have to be root to install the package or start the service,
I don't see any fundamental problem with that.

regards, tom lane