Re: PG 8.3 - Recovering Data Directory

Lawson Bradley <lawson(at)ingenioussoftware(dot)com> writes:
> I am trying to recover an entire database cluster (/data/ directory)
> by pasting the folder into a new installation (same major version) of Postgres.
> However whenever I try to start the postmaster service after
> replacing the directory, it hangs. I have checked folder permissions
> and the postgres user has access to the directory.

It seems unlikely that it would just "hang". Have you made sure you
know where the postmaster log output is going, and looked there for
interesting messages?

> What other things could cause the service to hang in these
> circumstances? I realize this is not the preferred way of handling
> data, but I have little choice at this point. My guess is there is a
> change things just wont work when trying to do this, and I may be out of luck.

It should work as long as the new installation is built with the same
compilation options as the old one (and if it isn't, the system should
tell you so). You'll need to provide more details if you want useful
help, like the exact PG versions involved, the platform, and the
aforementioned log output.

regards, tom lane