Re: Newbie Questions

Redefined Horizons <redefined(dot)horizons(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:

> I'm running the latest stable version of PostgreSQL on a Debian Linux box
> running Gnome 2.0. I've just started setting up my first database with
> PostgreSQL and I've got a few newbie questions:

I'm going to assume you installed the Debian packages rather than
installing from source...

> [1] Is there a way to determine where all the parts of my defualt
> PostgreSQL installation are located?

$ dpkg -l "postgresql*"

Then for each package listed, do

$ dpkg -L <packagename>

> [2] Can I use the "SU" command to log in as Postgres if I am logged in as
> a non-root user, or is this only possible as the root user?

If you give the postgres user a Unix password (as root) using the
'passwd' command, you should be able to 'su' to that user from any
account.

> [3] How do I find the Postgres user's home directory, and what is kept
> there? (This may be answered as a part of the response to #1....)

Look at the user's entry in '/etc/passwd'.

> [4] How do I ensure that the Postmaster server process is started when I
> reboot my machine?

It should be automatically started if you installed the Debian packages.

> [5] When I'm in PgAdmin III, does it matter if I add a new server as a
> non-root user, as the root-user, or as the Postgres user? What is the
> difference between the 3?

Never used it, sorry.

> [6] If I forgot the Postgres user password, do I have to reinstall
> PostgreSQL to reset it, or can I do this somewhere else?

If you're talking about the Unix password, root can change any
password. If you're talking about the PG password, you can edit
the ph_hba.conf file to allow 'postgres' to connect without a
password, then go into 'psql' and change the password with ALTER USER.
See the docs for more info on this part.

-Doug