Re: Error: Could not change user id

From: Russell Davie <rjrd(at)exemail(dot)com(dot)au>
To: pgsql-admin(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: Error: Could not change user id
Date: 2006-05-29 05:45:31
Message-ID: 20060529154531.398578e0@localhost.localdomain
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On Mon, 29 May 2006 14:57:15 +1000
Tim Allen <tim(at)proximity(dot)com(dot)au> wrote:

> Russell Davie wrote:
> > On Sun, 28 May 2006 20:59:33 -0400 Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
> > wrote:
> >> There is no such error message anywhere in the PG 7.4 source code.
> >> I suppose it's coming out of whatever init script you're using;
> >> have you tried reading the init script for enlightenment?
>
> > Interesting! I never thought it could be the window manager. This is
> > still occurring using Metacity and it still happened in Enlightnement
> > and WindowMaker and also at CLI without any window-manager at all!
>
> I'm quite sure that Tom was referring to enlightenment in the general
> sense of the word, ie some init script (eg the one for the postgresql
> service) might enlighten you as to what is going on! :-)

thanks for that! <doh>
I *was* wondering what he meant and found the error message in start-up script /usr/share/postgresql-common/PgCommon.pm

Reading the script suggests that the user to be a member of the "shadow" group, which is now done.
However, postgresql is still not starting and produces the same errors:

postgres(at)XXXXX:~$ /etc/init.d/postgresql-7.4 start
chmod: changing permissions of `/var/run/postgresql': Operation not permitted
* Starting PostgreSQL 7.4 database server:main
Error: Could not change user id [fail]

Are there special privileges that the "shadow" group has?

What is eluding me is decyphering it into practical steps to getting postgresql working again.

TIA

Rusell

>
> Tim
>
> --
> -----------------------------------------------
> Tim Allen tim(at)proximity(dot)com(dot)au
> Proximity Pty Ltd http://www.proximity.com.au/
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