Bug#34738: postgresql: Crash! (fwd)

I have the following report from an Alpha user of the Debian postgresql
package.

This is the backend log:
================================================================
binding ShmemCreate(key=52e2c1, size=909848)
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: ServerLoop:        handling reading 4
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: ServerLoop:        handling reading 4
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: ServerLoop:        handling writing 4
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: BackendStartup: environ dump:
-----------------------------------------
    PWD=/etc/postgresql
    PAGER=less
    HOSTNAME=erwin
    CLASSPATH=.:/usr/local/jdk117/classes.zip:/usr/local/swing/swing.jar
    LESS=-i
    USER=postgres
    MACHTYPE=alpha-unknown-linux-gnu
    EDITOR=/usr/bin/joe
    SWING_HOME=/usr/local/swing
    JAVA_HOME=/usr/local/jdk117
    LOGNAME=postgres
    SHLVL=3
    MINICOM=-l -c on
    MPAGE=-bLetter
    SHELL=/bin/sh
    PGLIB=/usr/lib/postgresql
    HOSTTYPE=alpha
    OSTYPE=linux-gnu
    TERM=screen
    HOME=/var/postgres
    PGDATA=/var/postgres/data
    PATH=/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/us
r/X11R6/bin
    POSTPORT=5432
    POSTID=2147483647
    PG_USER=postgres
    IPC_KEY=5432000
-----------------------------------------
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: BackendStartup: pid 13494 user postgres db
template1 socket 4
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster child[13494]: starting with
(/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postgres, -p, -d99, -P4, -v131072, template1, )
FindExec: found "/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postgres" using argv[0]
debug info:
    User         = postgres
    RemoteHost   = localhost
    RemotePort   = 0
    DatabaseName = template1
    Verbose      = 99
    Noversion    = f
    timings      = f
    dates        = Normal
    bufsize      = 64
    sortmem      = 512
    query echo   = f
InitPostgres
FATAL 1:  palloc failure: memory exhausted
proc_exit(0) [#0]
shmem_exit(0) [#0]
exit(0)
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: reaping dead processes...
/usr/lib/postgresql/bin/postmaster: CleanupProc: pid 13494 exited with status 0
pmdie 15
proc_exit(0) [#0]
shmem_exit(0) [#0]
exit(0)
================================================================

Does any Alpha user know of a possible reason for this?

------- Forwarded Message

Date:    Wed, 17 Mar 1999 18:15:12 -0600
From:    John Goerzen <jgoerzen@complete.org>
To:      submit@bugs.debian.org
Subject: Bug#34738: postgresql: Crash!

Package: postgresql
Version: 6.4.2-1

erwin ~$ createuser jgoerzen
Connection to database 'template1' failed.
FATAL 1:  palloc failure: memory exhausted

createuser: database access failed.

- -- System Information
Debian Release: potato
Kernel Version: Linux erwin 2.2.3 #1 Mon Mar 15 20:33:52 CST 1999 alpha unknown

Versions of the packages postgresql depends on:
ii  libc6.1         2.0.7.19981211 GNU C Library: shared libraries
ii  libncurses4     4.2-3          Shared libraries for terminal handling
ii  libreadlineg2   2.1-13         GNU readline and history libraries, run-time
ii  libpgsql2       6.4.2-1        Shared library libpq.so.2 for PostgreSQL
ii  debianutils     1.11           Miscellaneous utilities specific to Debian.

------- End of Forwarded Message


--
Oliver Elphick                                Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight                              http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
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                 ========================================
     "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet
      not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I
      now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son
      of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."
                                 Galatians 2:20