Re:

"Kristian Skrede Gleditsch" <kgleditsch@ucsd.edu> writes:
> I am trying to install PostgreSQL 7.2 under Redhat
> The installation seems to work without problems. However, when I try to
> start the program I encounter the following error message

>> psql: connectDBStart() -- connect() failed: No such file or directory
>> Is the postmaster running locally
>> and accepting connections on Unix socket '/tmp/.s.PGSQL.5432'?

> There is no such file in the /tmp/ directory.

It sounds like you didn't start the postmaster.  pg_ctl is the usual
manual method for that.  I can't tell from this whether you've installed
any boot scripts to start the postmaster at system boot --- but even if
you did, they'd not do anything until you reboot.

            regards, tom lane