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diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml new file mode 100644 index 0000000..74bf95b --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml @@ -0,0 +1,624 @@ +<!-- +doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml +PostgreSQL documentation +--> + +<refentry id="app-initdb"> + <indexterm zone="app-initdb"> + <primary>initdb</primary> + </indexterm> + + <refmeta> + <refentrytitle><application>initdb</application></refentrytitle> + <manvolnum>1</manvolnum> + <refmiscinfo>Application</refmiscinfo> + </refmeta> + + <refnamediv> + <refname>initdb</refname> + <refpurpose>create a new <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> database cluster</refpurpose> + </refnamediv> + + <refsynopsisdiv> + <cmdsynopsis> + <command>initdb</command> + <arg rep="repeat"><replaceable>option</replaceable></arg> + <group choice="plain"> + <group choice="opt"> + <arg choice="plain"><option>--pgdata</option></arg> + <arg choice="plain"><option>-D</option></arg> + </group> + <replaceable> directory</replaceable> + </group> + </cmdsynopsis> + </refsynopsisdiv> + + <refsect1 id="r1-app-initdb-1"> + <title>Description</title> + <para> + <command>initdb</command> creates a new + <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> <glossterm linkend="glossary-db-cluster">database cluster</glossterm>. + </para> + + <para> + Creating a database cluster consists of creating the + <glossterm linkend="glossary-data-directory">directories</glossterm> in + which the cluster data will live, generating the shared catalog + tables (tables that belong to the whole cluster rather than to any + particular database), and creating the <literal>postgres</literal>, + <literal>template1</literal>, and <literal>template0</literal> databases. + The <literal>postgres</literal> database is a default database meant + for use by users, utilities and third party applications. + <literal>template1</literal> and <literal>template0</literal> are + meant as source databases to be copied by later <command>CREATE + DATABASE</command> commands. <literal>template0</literal> should never + be modified, but you can add objects to <literal>template1</literal>, + which by default will be copied into databases created later. See + <xref linkend="manage-ag-templatedbs"/> for more details. + </para> + + <para> + Although <command>initdb</command> will attempt to create the + specified data directory, it might not have permission if the parent + directory of the desired data directory is root-owned. To initialize + in such a setup, create an empty data directory as root, then use + <command>chown</command> to assign ownership of that directory to the + database user account, then <command>su</command> to become the + database user to run <command>initdb</command>. + </para> + + <para> + <command>initdb</command> must be run as the user that will own the + server process, because the server needs to have access to the + files and directories that <command>initdb</command> creates. + Since the server cannot be run as root, you must not run + <command>initdb</command> as root either. (It will in fact refuse + to do so.) + </para> + + <para> + For security reasons the new cluster created by <command>initdb</command> + will only be accessible by the cluster owner by default. The + <option>--allow-group-access</option> option allows any user in the same + group as the cluster owner to read files in the cluster. This is useful + for performing backups as a non-privileged user. + </para> + + <para> + <command>initdb</command> initializes the database cluster's default locale + and character set encoding. These can also be set separately for each + database when it is created. <command>initdb</command> determines those + settings for the template databases, which will serve as the default for + all other databases. + </para> + + <para> + By default, <command>initdb</command> uses the locale provider + <literal>libc</literal> (see <xref linkend="locale-providers"/>). The + <literal>libc</literal> locale provider takes the locale settings from the + environment, and determines the encoding from the locale settings. + </para> + + <para> + To choose a different locale for the cluster, use the option + <option>--locale</option>. There are also individual options + <option>--lc-*</option> and <option>--icu-locale</option> (see below) to + set values for the individual locale categories. Note that inconsistent + settings for different locale categories can give nonsensical results, so + this should be used with care. + </para> + + <para> + Alternatively, <command>initdb</command> can use the ICU library to provide + locale services by specifying <literal>--locale-provider=icu</literal>. The + server must be built with ICU support. To choose the specific ICU locale ID + to apply, use the option <option>--icu-locale</option>. Note that for + implementation reasons and to support legacy code, + <command>initdb</command> will still select and initialize libc locale + settings when the ICU locale provider is used. + </para> + + <para> + When <command>initdb</command> runs, it will print out the locale settings + it has chosen. If you have complex requirements or specified multiple + options, it is advisable to check that the result matches what was + intended. + </para> + + <para> + More details about locale settings can be found in <xref + linkend="locale"/>. + </para> + + <para> + To alter the default encoding, use the <option>--encoding</option>. + More details can be found in <xref linkend="multibyte"/>. + </para> + + </refsect1> + + <refsect1> + <title>Options</title> + + <para> + <variablelist> + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-auth"> + <term><option>-A <replaceable class="parameter">authmethod</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--auth=<replaceable class="parameter">authmethod</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option specifies the default authentication method for local + users used in <filename>pg_hba.conf</filename> (<literal>host</literal> + and <literal>local</literal> lines). See <xref linkend="auth-pg-hba-conf"/> + for an overview of valid values. + </para> + + <para> + <command>initdb</command> will + prepopulate <filename>pg_hba.conf</filename> entries using the + specified authentication method for non-replication as well as + replication connections. + </para> + + <para> + Do not use <literal>trust</literal> unless you trust all local users on your + system. <literal>trust</literal> is the default for ease of installation. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-auth-host"> + <term><option>--auth-host=<replaceable class="parameter">authmethod</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option specifies the authentication method for local users via + TCP/IP connections used in <filename>pg_hba.conf</filename> + (<literal>host</literal> lines). + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-auth-local"> + <term><option>--auth-local=<replaceable class="parameter">authmethod</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option specifies the authentication method for local users via + Unix-domain socket connections used in <filename>pg_hba.conf</filename> + (<literal>local</literal> lines). + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-pgdata"> + <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option specifies the directory where the database cluster + should be stored. This is the only information required by + <command>initdb</command>, but you can avoid writing it by + setting the <envar>PGDATA</envar> environment variable, which + can be convenient since the database server + (<command>postgres</command>) can find the data + directory later by the same variable. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-encoding"> + <term><option>-E <replaceable class="parameter">encoding</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--encoding=<replaceable class="parameter">encoding</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Selects the encoding of the template databases. This will also be the + default encoding of any database you create later, unless you override + it then. The character sets supported by the + <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> server are described in <xref + linkend="multibyte-charset-supported"/>. + </para> + <para> + By default, the template database encoding is derived from the + locale. If <xref linkend="app-initdb-option-no-locale"/> is specified + (or equivalently, if the locale is <literal>C</literal> or + <literal>POSIX</literal>), then the default is <literal>UTF8</literal> + for the ICU provider and <literal>SQL_ASCII</literal> for the + <literal>libc</literal> provider. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-allow-group-access" xreflabel="group access"> + <term><option>-g</option></term> + <term><option>--allow-group-access</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Allows users in the same group as the cluster owner to read all cluster + files created by <command>initdb</command>. This option is ignored + on <productname>Windows</productname> as it does not support + <acronym>POSIX</acronym>-style group permissions. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-icu-locale"> + <term><option>--icu-locale=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies the ICU locale when the ICU provider is used. Locale support + is described in <xref linkend="locale"/>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-icu-rules"> + <term><option>--icu-rules=<replaceable>rules</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies additional collation rules to customize the behavior of the + default collation. This is supported for ICU only. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-data-checksums" xreflabel="data checksums"> + <term><option>-k</option></term> + <term><option>--data-checksums</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Use checksums on data pages to help detect corruption by the + I/O system that would otherwise be silent. Enabling checksums + may incur a noticeable performance penalty. If set, checksums + are calculated for all objects, in all databases. All checksum + failures will be reported in the + <link linkend="monitoring-pg-stat-database-view"> + <structname>pg_stat_database</structname></link> view. + See <xref linkend="checksums" /> for details. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-locale"> + <term><option>--locale=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Sets the default locale for the database cluster. If this + option is not specified, the locale is inherited from the + environment that <command>initdb</command> runs in. Locale + support is described in <xref linkend="locale"/>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-lc-collate"> + <term><option>--lc-collate=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--lc-ctype=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--lc-messages=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--lc-monetary=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--lc-numeric=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--lc-time=<replaceable>locale</replaceable></option></term> + + <listitem> + <para> + Like <option>--locale</option>, but only sets the locale in + the specified category. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-no-locale"> + <term><option>--no-locale</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Equivalent to <option>--locale=C</option>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-locale-provider"> + <term><option>--locale-provider={<literal>libc</literal>|<literal>icu</literal>}</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option sets the locale provider for databases created in the new + cluster. It can be overridden in the <command>CREATE + DATABASE</command> command when new databases are subsequently + created. The default is <literal>libc</literal> (see <xref + linkend="locale-providers"/>). + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-no-sync"> + <term><option>-N</option></term> + <term><option>--no-sync</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + By default, <command>initdb</command> will wait for all files to be + written safely to disk. This option causes <command>initdb</command> + to return without waiting, which is faster, but means that a + subsequent operating system crash can leave the data directory + corrupt. Generally, this option is useful for testing, but should not + be used when creating a production installation. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-no-instructions"> + <term><option>--no-instructions</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + By default, <command>initdb</command> will write instructions for how + to start the cluster at the end of its output. This option causes + those instructions to be left out. This is primarily intended for use + by tools that wrap <command>initdb</command> in platform-specific + behavior, where those instructions are likely to be incorrect. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-pwfile"> + <term><option>--pwfile=<replaceable>filename</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Makes <command>initdb</command> read the bootstrap superuser's password + from a file. The first line of the file is taken as the password. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-sync-only"> + <term><option>-S</option></term> + <term><option>--sync-only</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Safely write all database files to disk and exit. This does not + perform any of the normal <application>initdb</application> operations. + Generally, this option is useful for ensuring reliable recovery after + changing <xref linkend="guc-fsync"/> from <literal>off</literal> to + <literal>on</literal>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-text-search-config"> + <term><option>-T <replaceable>config</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--text-search-config=<replaceable>config</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Sets the default text search configuration. + See <xref linkend="guc-default-text-search-config"/> for further information. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-username"> + <term><option>-U <replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--username=<replaceable class="parameter">username</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Sets the user name of the + <glossterm linkend="glossary-bootstrap-superuser">bootstrap superuser</glossterm>. + This defaults to the name of the operating-system user running + <command>initdb</command>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-pwprompt"> + <term><option>-W</option></term> + <term><option>--pwprompt</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Makes <command>initdb</command> prompt for a password + to give the bootstrap superuser. If you don't plan on using password + authentication, this is not important. Otherwise you won't be + able to use password authentication until you have a password + set up. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-waldir"> + <term><option>-X <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--waldir=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + This option specifies the directory where the write-ahead log + should be stored. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-wal-segsize"> + <term><option>--wal-segsize=<replaceable>size</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Set the <firstterm>WAL segment size</firstterm>, in megabytes. This + is the size of each individual file in the WAL log. The default size + is 16 megabytes. The value must be a power of 2 between 1 and 1024 + (megabytes). This option can only be set during initialization, and + cannot be changed later. + </para> + + <para> + It may be useful to adjust this size to control the granularity of + WAL log shipping or archiving. Also, in databases with a high volume + of WAL, the sheer number of WAL files per directory can become a + performance and management problem. Increasing the WAL file size + will reduce the number of WAL files. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + </variablelist> + </para> + + <para> + Other, less commonly used, options are also available: + + <variablelist> + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-set"> + <term><option>-c <replaceable>name</replaceable>=<replaceable>value</replaceable></option></term> + <term><option>--set <replaceable>name</replaceable>=<replaceable>value</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Forcibly set the server parameter <replaceable>name</replaceable> + to <replaceable>value</replaceable> during <command>initdb</command>, + and also install that setting in the + generated <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> file, + so that it will apply during future server runs. + This option can be given more than once to set several parameters. + It is primarily useful when the environment is such that the server + will not start at all using the default parameters. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-debug"> + <term><option>-d</option></term> + <term><option>--debug</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Print debugging output from the bootstrap backend and a few other + messages of lesser interest for the general public. + The bootstrap backend is the program <command>initdb</command> + uses to create the catalog tables. This option generates a tremendous + amount of extremely boring output. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-discard-caches"> + <term><option>--discard-caches</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Run the bootstrap backend with the + <literal>debug_discard_caches=1</literal> option. + This takes a very long time and is only of use for deep debugging. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-l"> + <term><option>-L <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies where <command>initdb</command> should find + its input files to initialize the database cluster. This is + normally not necessary. You will be told if you need to + specify their location explicitly. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-no-clean"> + <term><option>-n</option></term> + <term><option>--no-clean</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + By default, when <command>initdb</command> + determines that an error prevented it from completely creating the database + cluster, it removes any files it might have created before discovering + that it cannot finish the job. This option inhibits tidying-up and is + thus useful for debugging. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + </variablelist> + </para> + + <para> + Other options: + + <variablelist> + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-version"> + <term><option>-V</option></term> + <term><option>--version</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Print the <application>initdb</application> version and exit. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-help"> + <term><option>-?</option></term> + <term><option>--help</option></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Show help about <application>initdb</application> command line + arguments, and exit. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + </variablelist> + </para> + + </refsect1> + + <refsect1> + <title>Environment</title> + + <variablelist> + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-environment-pgdata"> + <term><envar>PGDATA</envar></term> + + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies the directory where the database cluster is to be + stored; can be overridden using the <option>-D</option> option. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-environment-pg-color"> + <term><envar>PG_COLOR</envar></term> + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies whether to use color in diagnostic messages. Possible values + are <literal>always</literal>, <literal>auto</literal> and + <literal>never</literal>. + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + + <varlistentry id="app-initdb-environment-tz"> + <term><envar>TZ</envar></term> + + <listitem> + <para> + Specifies the default time zone of the created database cluster. The + value should be a full time zone name + (see <xref linkend="datatype-timezones"/>). + </para> + </listitem> + </varlistentry> + </variablelist> + + <para> + This utility, like most other <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> utilities, + also uses the environment variables supported by <application>libpq</application> + (see <xref linkend="libpq-envars"/>). + </para> + + </refsect1> + + <refsect1> + <title>Notes</title> + + <para> + <command>initdb</command> can also be invoked via + <command>pg_ctl initdb</command>. + </para> + </refsect1> + + <refsect1> + <title>See Also</title> + + <simplelist type="inline"> + <member><xref linkend="app-pg-ctl"/></member> + <member><xref linkend="app-postgres"/></member> + <member><xref linkend="auth-pg-hba-conf"/></member> + </simplelist> + </refsect1> + +</refentry> |