Обсуждение: database "postgres" does not exist

Hello everybody

We have a very strange problem here: we have been using postgresql for
several years now, it runs fine without any problem.
BUT today, we saw something I do not understand:

when I try to use psql like this:
                           sudo -u postgres psql
I get the message:
                          psql: FATAL:  database "postgres" does not exist

About 1-2 months ago, this was OK

I know this message is current on a new installation when the system is
NOT initialized.
But what puzzles me here is that the database postgres DID exist... but
it seems to have suddenly disappeared !!!!

A part from this, everything works fine, for example the command:
                           sudo -u postgres psql -d template1
works, and the postgres applications run quite smoothly

So, here is my question: how such a thing could have happen ? We cannot
remeber any stupid thing we could have done (but may be we did... And
what do I have to do to recreate the postgres database... in fact, is it
even necessary doing so ?

The OS is a 64bits Debian (distribution testing, dist-upgraded today but
this did not correct the problem)
The postgres version is 8.1.4

Thanks in advance,





--
Emmanuel COURCELLE                emmanuel.courcelle@toulouse.inra.fr
L.I.P.M. (UMR CNRS-INRA 2594/441) tel (33) 5-61-28-54-50
B.P.52627 - 31326 CASTANET TOLOSAN Cedex - FRANCE
------

> Hello everybody
> We have a very strange problem here: we have been using postgresql for
> several years now, it runs fine without any problem.
> BUT today, we saw something I do not understand:
> when I try to use psql like this:
> sudo -u postgres psql
> I get the message     psql: FATAL:  database "postgres" does not exist
> About 1-2 months ago, this was OK
> I know this message is current on a new installation when the system is
> NOT initialized.
> But what puzzles me here is that the database postgres DID exist... but
> it seems to have suddenly disappeared !!!!
> A part from this, everything works fine, for example the command:
>                            sudo -u postgres psql -d template1
> works, and the postgres applications run quite smoothly
> So, here is my question: how such a thing could have happen ? We cannot
> remeber any stupid thing we could have done (but may be we did... And
> what do I have to do to recreate the postgres database... in fact, is it
> even necessary doing so ?

If you issue "\l" from within the posgresql command prompt does it list postgres as a database?
If it does not show up, my guess is that is was dropped.

Regards,

Richard Broersma Jr.

Richard,
Are you sure that you weren't typing an additional argument, such as:
sudo -u postgres psql db_name

Reason I ask is because, by default running the command  psql assumes
some things if you don't call them out explicitly such as:

psql assumes:
    -h 127.0.0.1
    -p 5432 (or whichever was compiled in)
     user_name (database name, named that of the user)
     user_name (user name, named that of the user)

so when you type:
sudo -u postgres psql, I think it's interpreted as:
sudo -u postgres -h 127.0.0.1 -p 5432 postgres postgres


sudo -u postgres psql -d template1  (implies a user of postgres) and that's why it works.



Richard Broersma Jr wrote:

>>Hello everybody
>>We have a very strange problem here: we have been using postgresql for
>>several years now, it runs fine without any problem.
>>BUT today, we saw something I do not understand:
>>when I try to use psql like this:
>>sudo -u postgres psql
>>I get the message     psql: FATAL:  database "postgres" does not exist
>>About 1-2 months ago, this was OK
>>I know this message is current on a new installation when the system is
>>NOT initialized.
>>But what puzzles me here is that the database postgres DID exist... but
>>it seems to have suddenly disappeared !!!!
>>A part from this, everything works fine, for example the command:
>>                           sudo -u postgres psql -d template1
>>works, and the postgres applications run quite smoothly
>>So, here is my question: how such a thing could have happen ? We cannot
>>remeber any stupid thing we could have done (but may be we did... And
>>what do I have to do to recreate the postgres database... in fact, is it
>>even necessary doing so ?
>>
>>
>
>If you issue "\l" from within the posgresql command prompt does it list postgres as a database?
>If it does not show up, my guess is that is was dropped.
>
>Regards,
>
>Richard Broersma Jr.
>
>---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
>TIP 4: Have you searched our list archives?
>
>               http://archives.postgresql.org
>
>


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> Richard,
> Are you sure that you weren't typing an additional argument, such as:
> sudo -u postgres psql db_name

I'm not the one having problems connecting to the postgres database ;)

Regards,

Richard Broersma Jr.

On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 18:39:48 +0200
Emmanuel Courcelle <emmanuel.courcelle@toulouse.inra.fr> wrote:

> when I try to use psql like this:
>                            sudo -u postgres psql
> I get the message:
>                           psql: FATAL:  database "postgres" does not exist

Are you sure that postgres database really exists?
Try psql dbname -U postgres

Bye Enrico

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