backup: pg_dumpall and full backups in general

user "dado" is me, with full powers.

#: pg_dumpall
--
-- pg_dumpall (7.1.3)
--
\connect template1
DELETE FROM pg_shadow WHERE usesysid <> (SELECT datdba FROM pg_database
WHERE datname = 'template0');

Password:
psql: Password authentication failed for user 'dado'

DELETE FROM pg_group;

Password:
<- here I typed the pw
CREATE GROUP "adminGroup" WITH SYSID 1;
Password:
psql: fe_sendauth: no password supplied
ALTER GROUP "adminGroup" ADD USER "";
Password:
psql: fe_sendauth: no password supplied
ALTER GROUP "adminGroup" ADD USER "";
Password:
psql: fe_sendauth: no password supplied
ALTER GROUP "adminGroup" ADD USER "";
Password:
<- here I typed the pw

--
-- Database template1
--
\connect template1 postgres
\connect template1 postgres
Connection to database 'template1' failed.
fe_sendauth: no password supplied

pg_dump failed on template1, exiting

It keeps asking for a password but won't take one.
It seems pg_dumpall won't pass it to psql.
Any idea?

BTW, I wrote my own pg_dumpall in Python with added functionality.
I think I need to move back to the original pg_dumpall just in case
things change and mine script stops working.
But wrapping around pg_dump, pg_dumpall, and psql isn't very easy
because of the prompts.
Any advice here? Is it ok for me to keep rely on my backup utility?

Also, I want to know what I need to make backups of in order to recreate
a full install of PostgreSQL.
Does pg_dump take care of everything? If I reload my backups, will I
have an exact copy of the original install?
I mean, not considering OIDs and such.

Thanks.

--
Dado Feigenblatt Wild Brain, Inc.
Technical Director (415) 216-2053
dado(at)wildbrain(dot)com San Francisco, CA.