Re: postgres database user account

If the user is allowed to become (sudo - postgres) they can stop, start, the database and then change the pg_hba.conf, created unrestricted access into the database, even from remote machines. Typically on our systems, we do not allow users to log into the actual machine, rather create roles in the database according to their needs and then have them come in from another machine. This keeps all sorts of undesirable behavior (zcat, grep, cut, awk, programs running etc) off of your database machine.

-----Original Message-----
From: Maria L. Wilson [mailto:Maria(dot)L(dot)Wilson-1(at)nasa(dot)gov]
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 3:03 PM
To: Plugge, Joe R.
Cc: Wilson, Maria Louise (LARC-E301)[SCIENCE SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS]; pgsql-admin(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: [ADMIN] postgres database user account

ok - thanks that makes sense....

so what about the operating system account that is different? What we
are planning on doing with the OS acct (postgres) is only allowing users
sudo ability to this account. Nobody should be able to directly log
into it. Do you think that will cause problems?

thanks again - Maria

Plugge, Joe R. wrote:
> Yes, you can create a role that is a superuser that should be able to do internal work:
>
> CREATE ROLE myuser;
> ALTER ROLE myuser WITH SUPERUSER INHERIT CREATEROLE CREATEDB LOGIN PASSWORD 'mypassword' VALID UNTIL 'infinity';
>
> If you are talking about the operating system account named postgres, then this is a different question.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-admin-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org [mailto:pgsql-admin-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org] On Behalf Of Maria L. Wilson
> Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 2:15 PM
> To: pgsql-admin(at)postgresql(dot)org
> Subject: [ADMIN] postgres database user account
>
> Hoping someone out there can answer this general question(s).... I am
> having to justify having access to the "postgres" database user account
> to do DBA type work.....
> Is there any specific items that require the postgres database user
> account to run?
>
> Can any general user (with superuser permission) basically do what this
> postgres account does?
>
> thanks, Maria Wilson
> Nasa/Langley Research Center
> Hampton, Virginia 23681
>
>