Postgres Cygwin Install-as-Service on XP Pro/Home Mini HOWTO

Windows XP Home and Professional behave slightly different, compared to Windows NT/2000, especially on issues of
servicesand security models.  Therefore, the original instructions for installing postgres as a service don't quite
workwith XP Home or Pro.<br /><br /> Here's what I've learned so far, which may be of great help to those struggling
withthe same problem.<br /><br /><b>Windows XP Professional:</b><br /><br /> I haven't tried Postgres on Cygwin for XP
Promyself yet, but I believe that you just need to follow all of the instructions in the
/usr/doc/Cygwin/postgresql-X.X.X-Readmefile, as you would for Windows NT or 2000.<br /><br /> BUT!!!!  Swap Excerpted
Steps7 and 8.  "initdb" won't actually run successfully without ipc-daemon running in the background first, in my
experience.<br/><br /><br /><b>Windows XP Home:</b><br /><br /> Because Windows XP Home has a number of differences
fromXP Pro, primarily in user accounts/management, you can't simply follow the standard NT/2000 install-as-service
instructions. You have to do a few things differently.<br /><br /> In case you're wondering or are confused, the
followingis an excerpt from the /usr/doc/Cygwin/postgresql-7.2.1.README file, which is the additional readme for
Cygwin-specificissues for postgres.  Note all of the standard, non-Cygwin-specific docs are found in
/usr/doc/postgresql-7.2.1.<br/><br /> ***************<br /> BEGIN EXCERPT<br /> ***************<br /><br /> The
followingis the NT services Cygwin PostgreSQL installation procedure:<br /><br /> 1. Install the cygipc ipc-daemon as a
NTservice:<br /><br />     # ipc-daemon --install-as-service<br /><br /> 2. Create the "postgres" user account:<br
/><br/>     # cmd /c lusrmgr.msc # [3]<br />     # mkpasswd -l -u postgres >>/etc/passwd<br /><br /> 3. Grant the
"postgres"user the "Log on as a service" user right:<br /><br />     # cmd /c secpol.msc [4]<br /><br /> 4. Install
postmasteras a NT service:<br /><br />     # cygrunsrv --install postmaster --path /usr/bin/postmaster --args "-D
/usr/share/postgresql/data-i" --dep ipc-daemon --termsig INT --user postgres --shutdown<br /><br /> 5. Create the
PostgreSQLdata directory:<br /><br />     # mkdir /usr/share/postgresql/data<br /><br /> 6. Change ownership of the
PostgreSQLdata directory:<br /><br />     # chown postgres /usr/share/postgresql/data<br /><br /> 7. Initialize
PostgreSQL(*when running under the "postgres" account*):<br /><br />     $ initdb -D /usr/share/postgresql/data<br
/><br/> 8. Start the cygipc ipc-daemon:<br /><br />     # net start ipc-daemon<br /><br /> 9. Start postmaster:<br
/><br/>     # net start postmaster<br /><br /> 10. Connect to PostgreSQL:<br /><br />     # psql -U postgres
template1<br/><br /> *************<br /> END EXCERPT<br /> *************<br /><br /> Compared to the excerpt, XP Home
hasa few differences, again, because of its limited security model.<br /><br /> You must do all of the following from
withina a Cygwin shell, logging into Windows XP Home as an administrative user (any non-guest user), preferably your
normaluser account.  The account that was used to install Cygwin is ideal due to some default filename/permissions that
Cygwinused during installation of itself, and of the postgres package.<br /><br /> I do everything on my machine as
"kwong",so it was a natural choice to log-in as kwong and launch a Cygwin shell under that user id.  That's the user
accountI use in the examples below.  Substitute the appropriate user account for your own installation.<br /><br />
ExerptedStep 1 works just fine.<br /><br /> Excerpted Step 2 and Step 3 don't work at all under XP Home, again due to
limitations. Skip them completely.<br /><br /> Excerpted Step 4 is very close, but doesn't quite work due to some funky
file/directory/loginpermissions.  That's why the discussion above about using the same user that had installed Cygwin
andpostgres to begin with...<br /><br /> So, instead of the command used in Excerpted Step 4, use this:<br /><br /> $
cygrunsrv--install "Cygwin postgres" --path /usr/bin/postmaster --args "-D /usr/share/postgresql/data -i" --dep
ipc-daemon--termsig INT --user kwong --shutdown<br /><br /> Note, I'm assuming (as does the original readme) that
you'regoing to be using "/usr/share/postgres/data" as the data directory for postgres.  Again, note the username used
here. It's best if the user that runs the postgres service is the same one that installed postgres/Cygwin to begin
with. Otherwise, you need to get into lengthy manual permission juggling in the postgres data directories.<br /><br />
ExcerptedSteps 5 and 6 are fine.<br /><br /> Swap Excerpted Steps 7 and 8.  "initdb" won't actually run successfully
withoutipc-daemon running in the background first.<br /><br /> Excerpted Step 9 should be replaced with:<br /><br /> $
netstart "Cygwin postgres"<br /><br /> I named my service a bit differently than in the original instructions, to
bettermatch the naming conventions of other Cygwin services.<br /><br /> Excerpted Step 10 should be replaced with:<br
/><br/> $ psql template1<br /><br /> You don't have to provide the username in launching psql, as we're already
logged-inas the user that created the databases.  Again, this is a limitation of XP Home security. <pre
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