[nycbug-talk] PostgreSQL on BSD

michael lists
Sun Oct 9 11:05:59 EDT 2005


Over the past week I have installed PostgreSQL 8.0.3 on: 
OpenBSD -current 	(packages)
FreeBSD 5.4-STABLE	(ports)

The install goes well, but each time.. the initdb failed.  

According to their documentations..
(http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.0/interactive/kernel-resources.html)
The default semaphores needed adjustment, and suggest a custom kernel.

OpenBSD (not chroot'd)
----------------------
I did not deviate from a generic kernel, but, the following 
additions to /etc/sysctl.conf helped:
kern.seminfo.semmni=40
kern.seminfo.semmns=240

FreeBSD (jail)
----------------------
This was not successful for me.  I have learned that the core of this
issue is PostgreSQL uses SysV shared memory instead of POSIX shared
memory.  By default, FreeBSD does not allow using SysV memory on a per
jail basis. This would require a jail host setting that is accross all
jails: security.jail.sysvipc_allowed=1.  While it is very difficult and
unlikely one would experience a SysV exploit, this is considered by some
to be an unsafe setting in some threat models.

Has anyone else run into this problem?  And have you had any success
running PostgreSQL in a FreeBSD jail or OpenBSD chroot?

Michael




More information about the talk mailing list