Re: weird initdb output

Tom Lane wrote:
> Geoffrey <lists@serioustechnology.com> writes:
>> I wrote a script that creates a new database from an existing backup.
>> Works great on my machine.  Another user tries to use it and sees the
>> following output from initdb:
>
>> could not change directory to "/root"
>> The files belonging to this database system will be owned by user
>> "postgres".
>> This user must also own the server process.
>> .
>> .
>
>> Why is it trying to change directory to /root???
>
> IIRC, part of the startup process involves chdir'ing to where the initdb
> executable is and then chdir'ing back to whatever directory had been
> current when you called initdb.  I speculate the other guy was root and
> did "su postgres" not "su - postgres", so his cwd was still root's home
> directory.
>
> This might be harmless as long as you gave an absolute path for PGDATA
> to initdb, but I'd still recommend using su - not just su.

Appears this was exactly the case.  I do specify absolute path for
PGDATA, thanks.

--
Until later, Geoffrey

"I predict future happiness for America if they can prevent
the government from wasting the labors of the people under
the pretense of taking care of them."
- Thomas Jefferson