249 lines
5.8 KiB
Groff
249 lines
5.8 KiB
Groff
.\" This is -*-nroff-*-
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.\" $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/man/Attic/initdb.1,v 1.3 1998/01/11 22:17:38 momjian Exp $
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.TH INITDB UNIX 11/29/96 PostgreSQL PostgreSQL
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.SH NAME
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initdb - create a new Postgres database system
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.SH SYNOPSIS
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.BR "initdb"
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[\c
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.BR "--pglib="\c
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.IR "directory"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "--pgdata="\c
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.IR "directory"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "--username="\c
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.IR "username"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "--template"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "--noclean"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "--debug"\c
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]
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.BR "initdb"
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[\c
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.BR "-l"
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.IR "directory"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "-r"
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.IR "directory"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "-u"
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.IR "username"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "-t"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "-n"\c
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]
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[\c
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.BR "-d"\c
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]
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.SH DESCRIPTION
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.IR Initdb
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Creates a new Postgres database system. A database system is a
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collection of databases that are all administered by the same Unix user
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and managed by a single postmaster.
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.PP
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Creating a database system consists of creating the directories in which
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the database data will live, generating the shared catalog tables
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(tables that don't belong to any particular database), and
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creating the
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.IR template1
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database. What is the
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.IR template1
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database? When you create a database, Postgres does it by copying
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everything from the
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.IR template1
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database. It contains catalog tables filled in for things like the
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builtin types.
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.PP
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After
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.IR initdb
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creates the database, it
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.BR vacuum 's
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it.
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.PP
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There are 3 ways to give parameters to
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.IR initdb .
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First, you can use initdb command options. Second, you can set environment
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variables before invoking initdb. Third, you can have a program called
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.IR postconfig
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in your Unix command search path.
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.IR Initdb
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invokes that program and the program writes
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.IR initdb
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parameters to its standard output stream.
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.PP
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Command options always override parameters specified any other way.
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The values returned by
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.IR postconfig
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override any environment variables, but your
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.IR postconfig
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program may base its output on the environment variables if you want
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their values to be used.
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.PP
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The value that
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.IR postconfig
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outputs must have the format
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.PP
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var1=value1 var2=value2 ...
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.PP
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It can output nothing if it doesn't want to supply any parameters.
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The "varN" values are equal to the corresponding environment variable
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names. For example, outputting "PGDATA=/tmp/postgres_test" has the
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same effect as invoking
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.IR initdb
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with an environment variable called "PGDATA" whose value is
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"/tmp/postgres_test".
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.PP
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There are 3 parameters you must supply to initdb to tell it how to
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create the database system:
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.PP
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1) Where are the files that make up Postgres? Apart from files that
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have to go in particular directories because of their function, the
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files that make up the Postgres software were installed in a directory
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called the "pglib" directory. An example of a file that will be found
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there that
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.IR initdb
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needs is global1.bki.source, which contains all the information that goes
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into the shared catalog tables. Use the
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.BR --pglib
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(\c
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.BR -l )
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option or the
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.BR PGLIB
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environment variable.
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.PP
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2) Where in your Unix filesystem do you want the database data to go?
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The top level directory is called the "pgdata" directory. Use the
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.BR --pgdata
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(\c
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.BR -d )
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option or the
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.BR PGDATA
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environment variable.
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.PP
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3) Who will be the Postgres superuser for this database system? The
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Postgres superuser is a Unix user that owns all files that store the database
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system and also owns the postmaster and backend processes that access them.
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Use the
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.BR --username
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(\c
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.BR -u )
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option or the
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.BR PGUSER
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environment variable. Or just let it default to you (the Unix user who
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runs
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.IR initdb ).
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Note that only the Unix superuser can create a database system with a
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different user as Postgres superuser.
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.PP
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.IR Initdb
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understands the following command-line options:
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.BR "--pglib="\c
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.IR "directory"
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.BR "-l"
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.IR "directory"
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Use the Postgres files in the specified directory, as explained above.
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.BR "--pgdata="\c
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.IR "directory"
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.BR "-r"
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.IR "directory"
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Put the database system in this directory, as explained above.
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.BR "--username="\c
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.IR "username"
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.BR "-u"
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.IR "username"
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Build the database system with the specified Unix user as the Postgres
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superuser for it, as explained above.
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.BR "--template"
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.BR "-t"
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Replace the
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.IR template1
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database in an existing database system, and don't touch anything else.
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This is useful when you need to upgrade your
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.IR template1
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database using
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.IR initdb
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from a newer release of Postgres, or when your
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.IR template1
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database has become corrupted by some system problem. Normally the
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contents of
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.IR template1
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remain constant throughout the life of the database system. You can't
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destroy anything by running
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.IR initdb
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with the
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.BR --template
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option.
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.BR "--noclean"
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.BR "-n"
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Run in \*(lqnoclean\*(rq mode. By default,
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when
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.IR initdb
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determines that error prevent it from completely creating the database
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system, it removes any files it may have created before determining
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that it can't finish the job. That includes any core files left by
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the programs it invokes. This option inhibits any tidying-up and is
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thus useful for debugging.
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.BR "--debug"
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.BR "-d"
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Print debugging output from the bootstrap backend.
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The bootstrap backend is the program
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.IR initdb
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uses to create the catalog tables. This option generates a tremendous
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amount of output. It also turns off the final vacuuming step.
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.SH FILES
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.TP
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postconfig
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(Somewhere in the Unix command search path (defined by the PATH environment
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variable)). This is a program that specifies defaults for some of the
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command options. See above.
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.TP
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PGLIB/global1.bki.source
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Contents for the shared catalog tables in the new database system. This
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file is part of the Postgres software.
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.TP
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PGLIB/local1_template1.bki.source
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Contents for the template1 tables in the new database system. This
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file is part of the Postgres software.
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.SH "SEE ALSO"
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vacuum(l),
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bki(5),
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create_database(l),
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createuser(1),
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psql(1)
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