Re: Recovering old installation.

Update!!!!! (progress!)

It seems that:

  mount --bind /dev/shm /oldroot/dev/shm

did the trick. I now have a running server and I can connect
with the commandline tool. Now figure out the dump/restore
process. 

Leading up to this was starting postgres in my new system and looking
at the commandline of the running server and replicating that in the
chroot (changing version). Then strace showed EACCESS on
/dev/shm/PostgreSQL.xxxx which allowed further debugging, googling.

    Roger.



On Fri, Nov 20, 2020 at 11:20:43AM +0100, Roger Wolff wrote:
> Hi, 
> 
> I have a little problem here... 
> 
> I had a hardware failure. Replaced the power supply and then the
> system wouldn't boot. I eventually bought a new computer, new SSD for
> a root/boot disk. Did a fresh install then moved over the storage
> drives and went on my merry way.... 
> 
> Now... it seems after an earlier migration I had fogotten to move the
> postgresql backup to the new postgresql installation. 
> 
> So now I have my database in version 9.5 in /oldroot/.... somewhere
> and a new instance of psql (Version 12) is running in the freshly
> installed instance.
> 
> My plan-of-attack is to simply chroot to /oldroot, start the old 9.5
> server run a psqldump and un-dump into the new server (have to figure
> out how, but should be documented)
> 
> But the problem is: how do I start the server in the old root?
> 
> All searches for "chroot postgresql" turn up people who, for security
> reasons, want to run postgresql inside a chroot environment.
> 
> All searches for "start postgresql" tell me to simply type "service
> postgresql start". Great on a normal system, but not here:
> 
> abra2:/etc# service postgresql start
>  * Starting PostgreSQL 9.5 database server
          * The PostgreSQL server failed to start. Please check the log output:
 
> 2020-11-20 10:54:59 CET [2080825-1] FATAL:  could not open shared memory segment "/PostgreSQL.1552904327": Function
notimplemented
 
>
  [fail]
 
> abra2:/etc# journalctl
> No journal files were found.
> -- No entries --
> 
> OK. One step further. Monted (bind) /dev onto /oldroot/dev and now the
> message chages to "permission denied" as opposed to "function not
> implemented".
> 
> 
> One of the things I'd like to do is to start the server manually.
> 
> In /lib/systemd/system I find postgresql@.service that says: 
> 
> # systemd service template for PostgreSQL clusters. The actual instances will
> # be called "postgresql@version-cluster", e.g. "postgresql@9.3-main". The
> # variable %i expands to "version-cluster", %I expands to "version/cluster".
> # (%I breaks for cluster names containing dashes.)
> 
> and: 
> 
> ExecStart=@/usr/bin/pg_ctlcluster postgresql@%i --skip-systemctl-redirect %i start
> 
> So, I figured out that my cluster is called "main" and my version
> is 9.5. So now I expect that commandline to expand to: 
> 
> /usr/bin/pg_ctlcluster postgresql@9.5-main --skip-systemctl-redirect 9.5-main start
> 
> And when I try that I get: 
>   Error: specified cluster does not exist
> 
> Now that error message is less useful than it could be. I don't know
> if the postgresql@9.5-main or the 9.5-main is what it considers the
> "specified cluster". Anyway, I tried a few variations but can't
> get it to recognize the "specified cluster". 
> 
> 
> abra2:/lib/systemd/system# pg_lsclusters
> Ver Cluster Port Status Owner    Data directory               Log file
> 9.5 main    5432 down   postgres /var/lib/postgresql/9.5/main /var/log/postgresql/postgresql-9.5-main.log
> abra2:/lib/systemd/system# 
> 
> Simplifying the commandline to: 
> 
>   /usr/bin/pg_ctlcluster 9.5-main start
> 
> it seems to do something... but then again: 
>   FATAL:  could not open shared memory segment "/PostgreSQL.964036999": Permission denied
> 
> So then running strace -f to see what failed... No EPERM returns from
> any system call. Sigh.
> 
> So... Any ideas for helping me get my server up-and-running for five
> minutes to run a pgdump ?
> 
>     Roger. 
> 
> -- 
> ** R.E.Wolff@BitWizard.nl ** https://www.BitWizard.nl/ ** +31-15-2049110 **
> **    Delftechpark 11 2628 XJ  Delft, The Netherlands.  KVK: 27239233    **
> f equals m times a. When your f is steady, and your m is going down
> your a is going up.  -- Chris Hadfield about flying up the space shuttle.
> 
> 

-- 
** R.E.Wolff@BitWizard.nl ** https://www.BitWizard.nl/ ** +31-15-2049110 **
**    Delftechpark 11 2628 XJ  Delft, The Netherlands.  KVK: 27239233    **
f equals m times a. When your f is steady, and your m is going down
your a is going up.  -- Chris Hadfield about flying up the space shuttle.