Install PostgreSQL on Debian using APT: # aptitude install postgresql postgresql-client [ after install service is already started and scheduled for automatic start on reboot] Install PostgreSQL on CentOS using YUM: # yum install postgresql-server postgresql

On CentOS you need to initialize the db cluster prior to launch the service: # /etc/init.d/postgresql initdb

Launch the service: # /etc/init.d/postgresql start Configure for automatic launch at system boot: # chkconfig postgresql on Once the service is installed, we may switch user to PostgreSQL administrative user: # su - postgres As postgres user, create a new database user (“role”): $ createuser -PE dbuser
[ the -PE flags indicate that we also want to create a (P)assword that will be stored as (E)ncrypted MD5 ] You will be asked whether the new user ‘dbuser’ should have superuser privileges:  Shall the new role be a superuser? (y/n) If you answer no, you will also be prompted for:

Shall the new role be allowed to create databases? (y/n)
Shall the new role be allowed to create more new roles? (y/n)

Always as postgres user, create also a new PostgreSQL database ‘mydb’ (O)wned by user ‘dbuser’: $ createdb -O dbuser mydb Connect to the newly created database as dbuser using psql, the command-line interface to PostgreSQL: $ psql -d mydb -U dbuser Here’s the prompt you should be presented to: mydb=> *** TIP *** If you are prompted with the following error: psql: FATAL:  Ident authentication failed for user “dbuser" Open /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf as root and change this line from: local all all ident To: local all all trust And then reload PostgreSQL service: # /etc/init.d/postgresql reload (on Debian you have to change /etc/postgresql/VERSION/main/pg_hba.conf)

Once connected to your database, let’s try out some SQL lines…  Create a table: mydb=> CREATE TABLE phonebook(name TEXT, phone INT); Populate the table: mydb=> INSERT INTO phonebook(name, phone) VALUES(‘Marco’, 123456); Turn on expanded display: \x on     Expanded display is on. Display table content:

dd

mydb=> SELECT * FROM phonebook;
name | phone
-------+--------
Marco | 123456
(1 row)

Exit from psql CLI: mydb= \q You may perform all PostgreSQL related administrative tasks launching psql from shell as postgres user: $ psql Your prompt should change as follows: postgres=# Show user (and privileges) list:

postgres-# \du
List of roles
Role name|Attributes|Member of
---------+----------+---------
dbuser   |          |{}
postgres |Superuser |{}
        : Create role
        : Create DB

Show database list:

postgres-# \l
                                  List of databases

 Name  | Owner | Encoding| Collation |  Ctype | Access privileges
-------+——-+———+———–+——–+——————–+
mydb   | dbuser |UTF8   |en_US.UTF-8|en_US.UTF-8|
postgres|postgres|UTF8  |en_US.UTF-8|en_US.UTF-8|
 (...)

Connect to a certain db: mydb=> \c mydb2 Show tables (of connected db): mydb2=> \dt Show SQL command list: mydb=> \h  Show help for a specific SQL command (ie. ALTER TABLE):

mydb=> \h ALTER TABLE
Command: ALTER TABLE
Description: change the definition of a table
Syntax
ALTER TABLE [ ONLY ] name [ * ]
action (...)

Exit from psql CLI: mydb=> \q Obviously you may also create/modify user and databases from inside psql command-line tool: Create a new database user and password: postgres=# CREATE USER dbuser WITH PASSWORD ‘DESIRED_DB_PASSWORD_HERE’; Create a new database for dbuser: postgres=# CREATE DATABASE dbtest OWNER dbuser; Change password for user dbuser: postgres=# ALTER USER dbuser WITH PASSWORD ‘NEW_DB_PASSWORD_HERE’;

*** Extra *** Web based PostgreSQL administration (phpPgAdmin)

screengrab phpPgAdmin

Install phpPgAdmin on Debian using APT: # aptitude install phppgadmin To install phpPgAdmin on CentOS using YUM you need EPEL repositories (see http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/EPEL). Then you can just launch install as follows:

# yum install phpPgAdmin For minimal configuration, we will just modify phpPgAmin apache config file to also accept connections from our network (ie. 10.10.1.0/24):

# vi /etc/phppgadmin/apache.conf
allow from 127.0.0.0/255.0.0.0 ::1/128 10.10.1.0/255.255.255.0

Copy the edited configuration file to /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/ # cp /etc/phppgadmin/apache.conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/phppgadmin.conf [ NOTE: On CentOS you will find the configuration file already at this path: /etc/httpd/conf.d/phpPgAdmin.conf ] Reload apache daemon on Debian: # /etc/init.d/apache2 reload On CentOS: # /etc/init.d/httpd reload Open your web browser at http://${YOUR_DBSERVER_IP}/phppgadmin On CentOS the url will be: http://${YOUR_DBSERVER_IP}/phpPgAdmin Enjoy!