Re: BUG #3784: pg_ctl fails to start server when called with -c parameters

"Stephen Bespalko" <sjbespa(at)comcast(dot)net> writes:
> The following start statement fails, after about 60 seconds:

> bash-3.2$
> "/Users/sjbespa/Desktop/MDP.v8/MacDentPro/MacDentPro/build/Development/MacDe
> ntPro 10.5.app/Contents/Resources/postgresql/bin/pg_ctl" -w -D
> "/Users/sjbespa/pgsql.abqdental.8.2.intel.test/data" -l
> "/Users/sjbespa/pgsql.abqdental.8.2.intel.test/postgresLogfile" -o '-p 7147
> -c log_line_prefix="t2453888748:r:" -c log_error_verbosity=VERBOSE -c
> log_min_messages=INFO -c log_min_error_statement=INFO -c
> log_connections=true -c log_disconnections=true' start
> waiting for server to
> start...............................................................could
> not start server

What I think happened here is that the postmaster started fine, but
pg_ctl didn't know about the nonstandard port number and so was unable
to contact it to verify that it was up. Did you look into
postgresLogfile for messages?

Usually the best bet for working with nondefault port numbers is to
compile them into all the executables (configure --with-pgport=NNNN).
Then everything Just Works and you don't have to think about it.
If that's not workable then try "export PGPORT=NNNN".

regards, tom lane