Re: initdb failed with PostgreSQL 7.4

Martin Thoma <mthoma@schlagundrahm.ch> writes:
> I try to init the DB cluster without success. I am working on a RHEL 4
> box and I installed postgresql, postgresql-server and postgresql-jdbc.
> ...
> setting password...
> initdb: The password file wasn't generated. Please report this problem.

Do you have SELinux enabled in enforcement mode?  That's been the cause
of most of the initdb failures we've seen reported on RHEL4 and FC3
... though this particular symptom is a new one on me.  If you do,
the best bet is to turn it off (sudo /usr/sbin/setenforce 0) while you
are running initdb.  There is no chance that initdb will work
under SELinux enforcement before postgresql-7.4.7-3, which I don't
think has hit the street for RHEL4 yet.

            regards, tom lane