You can start postmaster as any under priveledged user.
all you do is start the database server here is what i use in a start up
script as you see i su from root to me then specify the command and any
additional arguments
#!/bin/bash
HOME=/usr/local/pgsql
LOG=$HOME/logs/postgres.log
DATA_DIR=$HOME/db
USER=darren
ulimit -SHc unlimited
su $USER -c "nohup $HOME/bin/postmaster -i -D $DATA_DIR $@ >$LOG 2>&1
</dev/null&"
So as you see you do not need to be root or postgres.
HTH
On Thu, 25 Jul 2002, Gavin M. Roy wrote:
> Most installations I've seen have you setup a postgres user.
> Potentially this is already setup in redhat as a system account, in
> which case, I believe just setting a password for it as root should do
> the trick, and let you login.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org
> [mailto:pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of Varsha Agarwal
> Sent: Thursday, July 25, 2002 7:00 PM
> To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
> Subject: [GENERAL] Postgres user
>
> Hi,
> I have just installed postgresql on red hat. To use psql command i have
> to
> do
> su postgres.
> But i can only do su postgres when I log on as root. When I logon as
> other
> user and do su postgres, it asks for password and i dont know what that
> is.
> Is it always to be run as root only or I can run it as normal user?
> -Varsha
>
>
>
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--
Darren Ferguson