Re: authentication problems

Russ McBride <Russ@psyex.com> writes:
> I typed "/usr/local/pgsql/bin/psql -h localhost" and
> "/usr/local/pgsql/bin/psql -h 127.0.0.1" and they both returned the
> same (odd) message:

> psql: FATAL 1: database "postgres" does not exist in the system catalog

Nothing odd about that: the database name is defaulting to your PG user
name, evidently postgres.  Try "psql -h localhost databasename" for
some valid database name.  The important thing about this message is
that you are getting past the pg_hba.conf check, so this *is* forward
progress.

            regards, tom lane