INITDB (1)
Create a new Postgres database installation
SYNOPSIS
initdb [ --pgdata=dbdir | -r dbdir ]
[ --pglib=libdir | -l libdir ]
[ --template=template | -t template ]
[ --username=name | -u name ]
[ --noclean | -n ] [ --debug | -d ]
--pglib=libdir
-l libdir
PGLIB
Where are the files that make up Postgres?
Apart from files that
have to go in particular directories because of their function, the
files that make up the Postgres software
were installed in a directory
called the libdir directory.
An example of a file that will be found
there that initdb
needs is global1.bki.source,
which contains all the information that goes
into the shared catalog tables.
--pgdata=dbdir
-r dbdir
PGDATA
Where in your Unix filesystem do you want the database data to go?
The top level directory is called the PGDATA directory.
--username=name
-u name
PGUSER
Who will be the Postgres superuser
for this database system? The
Postgres superuser is a Unix user
who owns all files that store the database
system and also owns the postmaster and backend processes that access them.
Or just let it default to you (the Unix user who runs
initdb).
Note:
Only the Unix superuser (root)
can create a database system with an owner
different from the Postgres superuser.
Other, less commonly used, parameters are also available:
--template=template
-t template
Replace the template1
database in an existing database system, and don't touch anything else.
This is useful when you need to upgrade your template1
database using initdb
from a newer release of Postgres,
or when your template1
database has become corrupted by some system problem. Normally the
contents of template1
remain constant throughout the life of the database system. You can't
destroy anything by running initdb
with the
--template
option.
--noclean
-n
By default, when initdb
determines that error prevent it from completely creating the database
system, it removes any files it may have created before determining
that it can't finish the job. That includes any core files left by
the programs it invokes. This option inhibits any tidying-up and is
thus useful for debugging.
--debug
-d
Print debugging output from the bootstrap backend.
The bootstrap backend is the program initdb
uses to create the catalog tables. This option generates a tremendous
amount of output. It also turns off the final vacuuming step.
Files are also input to initdb:
postconfig
If appearing somewhere in the Unix command search path
(defined by the PATH environment variable).
This is a program that specifies defaults for some of the
command options. See below.
PGLIB/global1.bki.source
Contents for the shared catalog tables in the new database system. This
file is part of the Postgres software.
PGLIB/local1_template1.bki.source
Contents for the template1 tables in the new database system. This
file is part of the Postgres software.
initdb will create files in the
PGDATA
data area which are the system tables and framework for a complete
installation.
DESCRIPTION
initdb creates a new
Postgres database system.
A database system is a
collection of databases that are all administered by the same Unix user
and managed by a single postmaster.
Creating a database system consists of creating the directories in which
the database data will live, generating the shared catalog tables
(tables that don't belong to any particular database), and
creating the template1
database. What is the template1
database? When you create a database, Postgres
does it by copying
everything from the template1
database. It contains catalog tables filled in for things like the
builtin types.
After initdb
creates the database, it completes the initialization by running
vacuum, which resets some optimization parameters.
There are three ways to give parameters to initdb.
\(bu
You can use initdb command options.
\(bu
You can set environment
variables before invoking initdb.
\(bu
You can have a program called postconfig
in your Unix command search path.
initdb invokes that program and that program then writes
initdb parameters to its standard output stream.
This third option is not a common thing to do, however.
Command options always override parameters specified any other way.
The values returned by postconfig
override any environment variables, but your
postconfig
program may base its output on the environment variables if you want
their values to be used.
The value that postconfig
outputs must have the format
var1=value1 var2=value2 ...
It can output nothing if it doesn't want to supply any parameters.
The var values are equal to
the corresponding environment variable
names. For example,
PGDATA=/tmp/postgres_test
has the
same effect as invoking initdb
with an environment variable called PGDATA whose value is
/tmp/postgres_test.
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