RE: Intermittent Startup Failures

I'm using the script file included with the postgresql distribution:

***********************************************************************

# PGVERSION is:
PGVERSION=7.1.2

# Source function library.
INITD=/etc/rc.d/init.d
. $INITD/functions

# Get function listing for cross-distribution logic.
#TYPESET=`typeset -f|grep "declare"`

# Get config.
. /etc/sysconfig/network

# Check that networking is up.
# Pretty much need it for postmaster.
[ "${NETWORKING}" = "no" ] && exit 0

[ -f /usr/bin/postmaster ] || exit 0

start(){
PSQL_START=$"Starting postgresql service: "

export PGDATA=/var/lib/pgsql/data
if [ ! -d $PGDATA/base ]
then
# Check version of existing PGDATA

# No existing PGDATA! Initdb it.

echo -n $"Initializing database: "
if [ ! -d $PGDATA ]
then
mkdir -p $PGDATA
chown postgres.postgres $PGDATA
fi
# Make sure the locale from the initdb is preserved for
later startups...
[ -f /etc/sysconfig/i18n ] && cp /etc/sysconfig/i18n
$PGDATA/../initdb.i18n
# Just in case no locale was set, use en_US
[ ! -f /etc/sysconfig/i18n ] && echo "LANG=en_US" >
$PGDATA/../initdb.i18n
# Is expanded this early to be used in the command su runs
echo "export LANG LC_ALL LC_CTYPE LC_COLLATE LC_NUMERIC
LC_CTYPE LC_TIME" >> $PGDATA/../initdb.i18n
# Initialize the database
su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/initdb
--pgdata=/var/lib/pgsql/data > /dev/null 2>&1" < /dev/null
[ -f $PGDATA/PG_VERSION ] && echo_success
[ ! -f $PGDATA/PG_VERSION ] && echo_failure
echo
fi

# Check for postmaster already running...
pid=`pidof -s postmaster`
if [ $pid ]
then
echo $"Postmaster already running."
else
#all systems go -- remove any stale lock files
rm -f /tmp/.s.PGSQL.* > /dev/null
echo -n "$PSQL_START"
su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/pg_ctl -D $PGDATA -p
/usr/bin/postmaster start > /dev/null 2>&1" < /dev/null
sleep 1
pid=`pidof -s postmaster`
if [ $pid ]
then
echo " [ OK ]"
touch /var/lock/subsys/postgresql
echo $pid > /var/run/postmaster.pid
echo
else
echo " [ FAILED ]"
echo
fi
fi
}

stop(){
echo -n $"Stopping postgresql service: "
# Check for older PGDATA location.
export PGDATA=/var/lib/pgsql/data

su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/pg_ctl stop -D $PGDATA -s -m
fast" > /dev/null 2>&1
ret=$? # This will always be 0, as the return code doesn't
propagate... Fix that some day.
if [ $ret -eq 0 ]; then
echo_success
else
echo_failure
fi
echo
rm -f /var/run/postmaster.pid
rm -f /var/lock/subsys/postgresql
}

restart(){
stop
start
}

condrestart(){
[ -e /var/lock/subsys/postgresql ] && restart || :
}

# This script is slightly unusual in that the name of the daemon
(postmaster)
# is not the same as the name of the subsystem (postgresql)

# See how we were called.
case "$1" in
start)
start
;;
stop)
stop
;;
status)
status postmaster
;;
restart)
restart
;;
condrestart)
condrestart
;;
*)
echo $"Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart}"
exit 1
esac

exit 0
****************************************************************************
***

-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Mahoney [mailto:ryan(at)paymentalliance(dot)net]
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2001 12:43 PM
To: Debra LaVille; pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: Intermittent Startup Failures

There may be some errors in the script that's loads postgres at
startup. Look in the "/etc/rc.d/init/" directory and see if there is an
executable named postgres or something similar. If so, post the source of
this file to the group so we can take a look.

Good Luck!

-Ryan Mahoney

At 10:22 AM 7/18/01 -0700, Debra LaVille wrote:

>I have users experiencing problems with PostgreSQL failing to start up
>consistently when their machines reboot. (The reboot may or may not be a
>result of a machine lockup.) No messages have been logged to the
>/var/log/messages file other than "startup failed", but executing the
>startup script by hand then successfully starts PostgreSQL. I have also
seen
>the "starup failed" message displayed on reboot, logged to the messages
>file, but when I checked, postmaster acually is running and I was able to
>start psql. I'm not a script file or Linux guru, but need to get to the
>bottom of this problem. Sorry I cannot provide more data, but any
>suggestions to help me debug this problem would be appreciated. BTW, I'm
>using PostgreSQL 7.1 with Linux 7.0.
>
>
>
>
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