starting posgresql for the first time and most probably last :)

I posted this 3 hours ago but haven't seen it in the messages so am
reposting( in case other post shows up)

Thankyou to all the people who have taken the time to reply my posts,
unfortunately nothing has worked.
I have removed postgresql and reinstalled from source following the
directions from:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/install-post.htm

this is the end result...

gmake[2]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src/pl'
gmake[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/local/src/postgresql-7.4.2/src'

postgreSQL installation complete.

GMAKE INSTALL FINISHES SUCCESSFULLY

[root(at)localhost postgresql-7.4.2]# LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/pgsql/lib
[root(at)localhost postgresql-7.4.2]# export LD_LIBRARY_PATH
[root(at)localhost postgresql-7.4.2]# su postgres
bash-2.05b$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/initdb -D /usr/local/pgsql/data
The files belonging to this database system will be owned by user
"postgres".
This user must also own the server process.

The database cluster will be initialized with locale en_NZ.UTF-8.

creating directory /usr/local/pgsql/data... ok
creating directory /usr/local/pgsql/data/base... ok
creating directory /usr/local/pgsql/data/global... ok
creating directory /usr/local/pgsql/data/pg_xlog... ok
creating directory /usr/local/pgsql/data/pg_clog... ok
selecting default max_connections... 100
selecting default shared_buffers... 1000
creating configuration files... ok
creating template1 database in /usr/local/pgsql/data/base/1... ok
initializing pg_shadow... ok
enabling unlimited row size for system tables... ok
initializing pg_depend... ok
creating system views... ok
loading pg_description... ok
creating conversions... ok
setting privileges on built-in objects... ok
creating information schema... ok
vacuuming database template1... ok
copying template1 to template0... ok

Success. You can now start the database server using:

/usr/local/pgsql/bin/postmaster -D /usr/local/pgsql/data
or
/usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data -l logfile start

INITIALISATION IS SUCCESSFUL

bash-2.05b$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/postmaster -D /usr/local/pgsql/data
LOG: could not create IPv6 socket: Address family not supported by protocol
LOG: database system was shut down at 2004-04-29 10:51:19 NZST
LOG: checkpoint record is at 0/9B1058
LOG: redo record is at 0/9B1058; undo record is at 0/0; shutdown TRUE
LOG: next transaction ID: 536; next OID: 17142
LOG: database system is ready

AT THIS POINT I DID CTRL+Z AS NOTHING ELSE HAPPENED

[1]+ Stopped /usr/local/pgsql/bin/postmaster -D /usr/local/pgsql/data

POSMASTER HAS STOPPED

bash-2.05b$ /usr/local/pgsql/bin/postmaster -D /usr/local/pgsql/data
FATAL: lock file "/usr/local/pgsql/data/postmaster.pid" already exists
HINT: Is another postmaster (PID 19495) running in data directory
"/usr/local/pgsql/data"?
bash-2.05b$

UNABLE TO RESTART? ANOTHER INSTANCE OF POSTMASTER RUNNING? NO!!

If someone could explain to me what is going on I would appreciate it.

Without a doubt one of the more user unfriendly programmes I have come
across!

Bob

Whats that other dbms my…my something……