path: root/src/man/initdb.1

.\" This is -*-nroff-*-
.\" $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/man/Attic/initdb.1,v 1.3 1998/01/11 22:17:38 momjian Exp $
.TH INITDB UNIX 11/29/96 PostgreSQL PostgreSQL
.SH NAME
initdb - create a new Postgres database system
.SH SYNOPSIS
.BR "initdb"
[\c
.BR "--pglib="\c
.IR "directory"\c
]
[\c
.BR "--pgdata="\c
.IR "directory"\c
]
[\c
.BR "--username="\c
.IR "username"\c
]
[\c
.BR "--template"\c
]
[\c
.BR "--noclean"\c
]
[\c
.BR "--debug"\c
]

.BR "initdb"
[\c
.BR "-l"
.IR "directory"\c
]
[\c
.BR "-r"
.IR "directory"\c
]
[\c
.BR "-u"
.IR "username"\c
]
[\c
.BR "-t"\c
]
[\c
.BR "-n"\c
]
[\c
.BR "-d"\c
]


.SH DESCRIPTION
.IR 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.
.PP
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
.IR template1
database.  What is the 
.IR template1
database?  When you create a database, Postgres does it by copying
everything from the
.IR template1
database.  It contains catalog tables filled in for things like the
builtin types.
.PP     
After 
.IR initdb
creates the database, it 
.BR vacuum 's
it.
.PP
There are 3 ways to give parameters to 
.IR initdb .
First, you can use initdb command options.  Second, you can set environment
variables before invoking initdb.  Third, you can have a program called
.IR postconfig
in your Unix command search path. 
.IR Initdb
invokes that program and the program writes 
.IR initdb
parameters to its standard output stream.
.PP
Command options always override parameters specified any other way.
The values returned by
.IR postconfig 
override any environment variables, but your
.IR postconfig 
program may base its output on the environment variables if you want
their values to be used.
.PP
The value that 
.IR postconfig 
outputs must have the format
.PP
    var1=value1 var2=value2 ...  
.PP
It can output nothing if it doesn't want to supply any parameters.
The "varN" values are equal to the corresponding environment variable
names.  For example, outputting "PGDATA=/tmp/postgres_test" has the
same effect as invoking
.IR initdb 
with an environment variable called "PGDATA" whose value is
"/tmp/postgres_test".
.PP
There are 3 parameters you must supply to initdb to tell it how to 
create the database system:
.PP
1) 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 "pglib" directory.  An example of a file that will be found
there that 
.IR initdb
needs is global1.bki.source, which contains all the information that goes
into the shared catalog tables.  Use the 
.BR --pglib
(\c
.BR -l )
option or the 
.BR PGLIB
environment variable.
.PP
2) Where in your Unix filesystem do you want the database data to go?
The top level directory is called the "pgdata" directory.  Use the
.BR --pgdata 
(\c
.BR -d )
option or the 
.BR PGDATA
environment variable.
.PP
3) Who will be the Postgres superuser for this database system?  The
Postgres superuser is a Unix user that owns all files that store the database
system and also owns the postmaster and backend processes that access them.
Use the
.BR --username
(\c
.BR -u )
option or the 
.BR PGUSER
environment variable.  Or just let it default to you (the Unix user who
runs
.IR initdb ).
Note that only the Unix superuser can create a database system with a
different user as Postgres superuser.



.PP
.IR Initdb
understands the following command-line options:

.BR "--pglib="\c
.IR "directory"
.BR "-l"
.IR "directory"

Use the Postgres files in the specified directory, as explained above.

.BR "--pgdata="\c
.IR "directory"
.BR "-r"
.IR "directory"

Put the database system in this directory, as explained above.

.BR "--username="\c
.IR "username"
.BR "-u"
.IR "username"

Build the database system with the specified Unix user as the Postgres
superuser for it, as explained above.

.BR "--template"
.BR "-t"

Replace the
.IR template1
database in an existing database system, and don't touch anything else.
This is useful when you need to upgrade your 
.IR template1
database using 
.IR initdb
from a newer release of Postgres, or when your 
.IR template1
database has become corrupted by some system problem.  Normally the
contents of
.IR template1
remain constant throughout the life of the database system.  You can't
destroy anything by running
.IR initdb
with the 
.BR --template
option.

.BR "--noclean"
.BR "-n"

Run in \*(lqnoclean\*(rq mode.  By default, 
when 
.IR 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.

.BR "--debug"
.BR "-d"

Print debugging output from the bootstrap backend.  
The bootstrap backend is the program 
.IR initdb
uses to create the catalog tables.  This option generates a tremendous
amount of output.  It also turns off the final vacuuming step.


.SH FILES
.TP
postconfig
(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 above.
.TP
PGLIB/global1.bki.source
Contents for the shared catalog tables in the new database system.  This
file is part of the Postgres software.
.TP
PGLIB/local1_template1.bki.source
Contents for the template1 tables in the new database system.  This
file is part of the Postgres software.

.SH "SEE ALSO"
vacuum(l),
bki(5),
create_database(l),
createuser(1),
psql(1)