Requirements
------------
Please note that OpenBSD port of PostgreSQL requires a kernel
compiled with SYSVSEM and SYSVSHM options for proper operation.
The GENERIC kernel has these settings.
Using PostgreSQL in an OpenBSD environment
------------------------------------------
If you are installing PostgreSQL for the first time, the following
steps are required:
1. Create the PostgreSQL user and group:
# useradd -c "PostgreSQL Admin User" -g =uid -m -d /var/postgresql \
-s /bin/sh postgresql
2. su to the postgresql account and initialize the database:
# su - postgresql
$ mkdir /var/postgresql/data
$ initdb -D /var/postgresql/data
If you are upgrading PostgreSQL then you may have a `pgsql' user.
It is suggested that you follow the steps in
!!PREFIX!!/share/doc/postgresql/INSTALL
for more information on how to upgrade your existing databases. See
also `Special notes for OpenBSD port' below. Replace references to
the `postgresql' user below with `pgsql' or whatever other user you
have selected to be the database administration account.
Auto Start and Stop
-------------------
If you wish to start PostgreSQL automatically during system startup,
add the following lines to /etc/rc.local:
if [ -x !!PREFIX!!/bin/pg_ctl ]; then
su -l postgresql -c "!!PREFIX!!/bin/pg_ctl start \
-D /var/postgresql/data -l /var/postgresql/logfile \
-o '-D /var/postgresql/data'"
echo -n ' postgresql'
fi
To automatically shutdown the database as part of the system shutdown,
add the following lines to /etc/rc.shutdown:
if [ -f /var/postgresql/data/postmaster.pid ]; then
su -l postgresql -c "!!PREFIX!!/bin/pg_ctl stop -m fast \
-D /var/postgresql/data"
rm -f /var/postgresql/data/postmaster.pid
fi
Network Connections and Tuning
------------------------------
To allow connections over TCP (and other options) edit the file:
/var/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf
and also edit the pg_hba.conf (in the same directory) making the
appropriate changes to allow connection from your network.
The default sizes in the GENERIC kernel for SysV semaphores
are not really large enough for a database with more than a
handful of connections. A server running such a database should
have at least the following:
option SEMMNI=256
option SEMMNS=2048
To serve a large number of connections (>250), you may also need
to increase the maximum shared memory segment size, on the i386
try:
option SHMMAXPGS=4096 # default on i386 is 2048 = 8Mb
# other archs may vary
These numbers should be tweaked depending on system use. See
options(4) and release(8) manual pages and the FAQ at
http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq5.html describe how to compile
a new custom kernel.
The ulimit settings can also be a problem. The following can be
added for the postgresql user in the /etc/login.conf file:
postgresql:\
:maxproc-max=256:\
:maxproc-cur=256:\
:openfiles-cur=768:\
:datasize-max=256M:\
:datasize-cur=64M:\
:stacksize-cur=4M:
For more than about 250 connections, these numbers should be
increased. Please report any changes and experiences to the package
maintainers so that we can update this file for future versions.
