PostgreSQL 8.4 Fails to Start on Ubuntu 10.10 Bug? - postgresql

Question

PostgreSQL 8.4 Fails to Start on Ubuntu 10.10
sudo /etc/init.d/postgresql start
* Starting PostgreSQL 8.4 database server
* Error: could not exec /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl start -D /var/lib/postgresql/8.4/main -l /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-8.4-main.log -s -o -c config_file="/etc/postgresql/8.4/main/postgresql.conf" :
running ldd on /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl
ldd /usr/lib/postgresql/8.4/bin/pg_ctl
linux-gate.so.1 => (0xb77e4000)
libpq.so.5 => /usr/lib/libpq.so.5 (0xb77a2000)
libc.so.6 => /lib/libc.so.6 (0xb7645000)
libssl.so.0.9.8 => /lib/libssl.so.0.9.8 (0xb75fb000)
libcrypto.so.0.9.8 => /lib/libcrypto.so.0.9.8 (0xb74ac000)
libkrb5.so.3 => /usr/lib/libkrb5.so.3 (0xb73fd000)
libcom_err.so.2 => /lib/libcom_err.so.2 (0xb73f9000)
libgssapi_krb5.so.2 => /usr/lib/libgssapi_krb5.so.2 (0xb73ca000)
libcrypt.so.1 => /lib/libcrypt.so.1 (0xb7398000)
libldap_r-2.4.so.2 => /usr/lib/libldap_r-2.4.so.2 (0xb7351000)
libpthread.so.0 => /lib/libpthread.so.0 (0xb7337000)
/lib/ld-linux.so.2 (0xb77e5000)
libdl.so.2 => /lib/libdl.so.2 (0xb7333000)
libz.so.1 => /lib/libz.so.1 (0xb731e000)
libk5crypto.so.3 => /usr/lib/libk5crypto.so.3 (0xb72fa000)
libkrb5support.so.0 => /usr/lib/libkrb5support.so.0 (0xb72f1000)
libkeyutils.so.1 => /lib/libkeyutils.so.1 (0xb72ed000)
libresolv.so.2 => /lib/libresolv.so.2 (0xb72d9000)
liblber-2.4.so.2 => /usr/lib/liblber-2.4.so.2 (0xb72cc000)
libsasl2.so.2 => /usr/lib/libsasl2.so.2 (0xb72b4000)
libgnutls.so.26 => /usr/lib/libgnutls.so.26 (0xb7218000)
libtasn1.so.3 => /usr/lib/libtasn1.so.3 (0xb7207000)
libgcrypt.so.11 => /lib/libgcrypt.so.11 (0xb7193000)
libgpg-error.so.0 => /lib/libgpg-error.so.0 (0xb718e000)
I have checked permissions and have given root appropriate permissions, and I am trying to run postgresql as root.

Answer 1

PostgreSQL refuses to run as root. This is so that bugs in the back-end, plus bugs in functions written in untrusted languages, cannot be used to do arbitrary actions over the whole system. PostgreSQL must run as a relatively limited user, usually the postgres user and the start-up scripts normally enforce this.
Grant permissions to the postgres user rather than root. Then everything should work fine.