initdb failing (10.4 centos7)

On Saturday, May 19, 2018, Adrian Klaver <adrian(dot)klaver(at)aklaver(dot)com> wrote:

> On 05/19/2018 03:44 PM, Michael Nolan wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, May 19, 2018 at 5:23 PM, Adrian Klaver <adrian(dot)klaver(at)aklaver(dot)com
>> <mailto:adrian(dot)klaver(at)aklaver(dot)com>> wrote:
>>
>>
>
>> Then setting up the $DATADIR is on you:
>>
>> https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/install-short.html
>> <https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/install-short.html>
>>
>>
>> Shouldn't this also be mentioned in the INSTALL file in the source
>> directory then?
>>
>
> It is also in the Getting Started portion of INSTALL.

IIUC the INSTALL file is simply an artifact of the build process for which
the doc sgml file is the source so they should indeed match.

While practically speaking one must initdb at least once after installation
in order for the product to be useful initdb is itself not really part of
the core installation routine. IOW it is outside of what the make routine
is responsible for and, as documented, it doesn't deal with permissions
explicitly nor does it create parent directories.

David J.