Using The Postgresql Database on Linux

Table of Contents

last revision
27 October 2011, 6:33pm
book quality

,

This book purports to provide concise and practical recipes for using the open-source relational (sql) database systems Postgresql on linux

www: www.postgresql.org
the official site
www: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/psql-fatal-ident-authentication-failed-for-user/
a good article about authentication problems (i.e. you cant logon)
Watch postgresql calls from your application on localhost
 sudo tcpdump -nnvvXSs 1514 -i lo0 dst port 5432

Installing Postgresql ‹↑›

install the postgresql database on a debian-style distribution

 sudo apt-get install postgresql

Authentication ‹↑›

The process of logging onto something is generally referred to as 'authentication'. Postgresql uses reasonably complicated authentication which may cause some head-scratching.

switch user to the 'postgres' user, in order to administer the server

 sudo su postgres  only necessary on some linux distributions, at first
 psql -U postgres  should achieve the same thing

find out where the authentication configuration file is

 find / -name 'pg_hba.conf'
 locate pg_hba.conf          maybe the same

Stopping And Starting The Server ‹↑›

check that the postgresql database server is running

 ps ax | grep postgres
 ps ax | grep postmaster    an older form
 pg_ctl status              PGDATA needs to be set
 sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.4 status  maybe best on debian-style linux

start the postgresql database server

 sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.4 start best on debian style linux?
 pg_ctl start
 pg_ctl -w start     refuses connections until the server is going

the default 8.4 data folder on ubuntu

 /var/lib/postgresql/8.4/main

start a postgresql server listening on tcp port 5433

 pg_ctl -o "-p 5433" start

shutdown the postgre database server

 pg_ctl stop
 sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.4 stop     debian-style

restart the database server

 pg_ctl restart
 sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.4 restart  debian-style

Batch Sql Statements ‹↑›

Run gunzipped sql file in PostGres, adding to the library.

 gzip -dc /tmp/pavanlimo.gz | psql -U user db

Viewing Data ‹↑›

view all data from the table 'trees'

 SELECT * FROM trees;

display table data with extra ascii borders

 \pset border 2
 SELECT * FROM trees;

display table data with no ascii borders

 \pset border 0

Tables ‹↑›

view the definition (columns) of the table 'offers'

 \d offers

Creating Tables ‹↑›

create a new table 'newtable' with 2 fields (columns)


   testdb=> CREATE TABLE newtable (
       testdb(>  first integer not null default 0,
       testdb(>  second text)
       testdb-> ;

postgresql SQL to show count of ALL tables (relations) including

 SELECT relname, reltuples, pg_relation_size(relname) FROM pg_class r JOIN pg_namespace n ON (relnamespace = n.oid) WHERE relkind = 'r' AND n.nspname = 'public' ORDER BY relname;

for x in `psql -e\l | awk '{print $1}'| egrep -v

 for x in `psql -e\l | awk '{print $1}'| egrep -v "(^List|^Name|\-\-\-\-\-|^\()"`; do pg_dump -C $x | gzip > /var/lib/pgsql/backups/$x-nightly.dmp.gz; done

Databases ‹↑›

list databases on the database server

 psql -l

List all PostgreSQL databases. Useful when doing backups

 psql -U postgres -lAt | gawk -F\| '$1 !~ /^template/ && $1 !~ /^postgres/ && NF > 1 {print $1}'

create a postgresql database called 'company'

 createdb company    this is typed at the bash shell

delete the database called 'company'

 dropdb company

The Psql Utility ‹↑›

connect to the 'test' database on the database server

 psql test   the name of a database is required, or defaults to the user
 psql        may produce an error, if there is no database with username

list all databases on the database server

 psql -l

connect to the 'test' database on the server using the role (user/group) 'bob'

 psql -U bob -d test

User Accounts ‹↑›

create a new postgre sql 'role' called 'bob'

 createuser bob            a role is like a user and group combined
pg:>> CREATE ROLE bob; within the psql interpreter

eliminate the postgresql role 'bob'

 dropuser bob
pg:>> DROP ROLE bob; pg:>> drop role bob; the same, its not case sensitive

show current roles within the database server pg:>> \du pg:>> SELECT rolname FROM pg_roles; only displays the names

create a new database role 'bob' which can create databases, users and login

 CREATE ROLE bob LOGIN CREATEDB CREATEROLE;

Backups ‹↑›

make pgsql backup and gzip it

 pg_dump otrs2 | gzip > dump.gz

dump database from postgresql to a file

 pg_dump -Ft -b -Uusername -hdb.host.com db_name > db.tar

Export/Backup a PostgreSQL database

 pg_dump -U postgres [nomeDB] > db.dump

psql commands
\q - quit the psql interpreter
\du - show database roles
\l - list all databases