Re: error on start up "could not change directory to"

I am would guess that I am using the "pre-packaged" version, because I did
the install using yum.
If I start postgresql using "sudo service postgresql start" it will find
my data
directory? Do I need to do a SU - postgres first?
Is there a recent tutorial for starting, stopping and other simple
postgresql
admin tasks?

Many thanks for your quick reply on the weekend.

Best

KD

On Sun, Feb 5, 2012 at 2:48 PM, Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:

> Kevin Duffy <kevind0718(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
> > I have found postings that talk about the difference between
> > "su postgres" vs "su - postgres". The dash (-) makes it a login shell
> > But do understand the difference. I suspect that, in my ignorance, I
> used
> > su postgres
>
> > So here is what happens when I start the server as follows:
> > /usr/bin/pg_ctl -D /usr/local/pgsql/data start
> > I get:
> > could not change directory to "/home/kbd"
> > server starting
>
> > But the server starts OK. Would like to fix the above issue.
>
> That message happens if you execute the command while in a directory
> that the postgres user can't read. It's unsurprising that postgres
> can't read your home directory, since mode 700 is typical for user home
> directories on Linux. What is surprising is that you are still cd'd
> to your home directory when you do this. One reason for recommending
> "su -" and not just "su" is that the former should result in changing to
> postgres' home directory.
>
> BTW, if you're using a prepackaged version of postgres, which you
> probably should be, this whole technique is inappropriate anyway.
> You should be doing something like "sudo service postgresql start"
> rather than invoking pg_ctl by hand.
>
> regards, tom lane
>