[nycbug-talk] PostgreSQL on BSD

[Hans Zaunere]

michael wrote on Sunday, October 09, 2005 11:06 AM:
> 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?

Yeah, this is a current limitation, and I'm not aware of any ways around it.
While speaking with Bruce (who also mentioned this during his presentation
at NYCBSDCon) there might be some architecture changes in future PGSQL
releases that will eliminate this problem, however it sounded like it's
still in very-very early stages of discussion.


---
Hans Zaunere / President / New York PHP
   www.nyphp.org  /  www.nyphp.com