newbie question

[Bradley Giesbrecht]

On May 4, 2011, at 6:30 AM, Daniel J. Luke wrote:

> On May 3, 2011, at 9:27 PM, Tena Sakai wrote:
>>
>> When I try what you mention ("psql -U postgres postgres")
>> here's what happens:
>>   $ /opt/local/lib/postgresql90/bin/psql -U postgres postgres
>>   Password for user postgres:
>>   psql: FATAL:  password authentication failed for user "postgres"
>
> that's because you supplied an incorrect password for the postgres  
> user.
>
>> I gave "trust" as you suggested.
>
> nope, I suggested that the default authentication method (as set in  
> your pg_hba.conf file) was 'trust' authentication which does not  
> require a password.
>
>> Clearly the account postgres exists.  (Because I can su to it
>> from being root.)
>
> you are confusing a system level postgres account with a database  
> postgres account/user
>
>> But on this incarnation of the OS (snow
>> leopard, 10.6.7), one is supposed to manage password
>> changes via Accounts (in System Preferences).  And
>> according to Accounts, there is no such user as postgres.
>> Curiously, it does show the group postgres.
>
> the Accounts pane in system preferences doesn't show all system  
> accounts.
>
>> I have looked at the passwd file via vipw and postgres doesn't
>> exist in it.  So, where is the account postgres?
>
> on Mac OS X, system accounts (and passwords) are not stored in the  
> passwd file.
>
>> Here's something else kinda strange:
>>   $ echo ~postgres
>>   /Applications/postgres
>>   $ ls -ld /Applications/postgres
>>   ls: /Applications/postgres: No such file or directory
>
> that doesn't really matter (although it probably means your postgres  
> user wasn't created by macports, as the postgres90-server port  
> creates the postgres user with a $HOME of ${prefix}/var/db/ 
> postgresql90)

Reading through this thread it is not clear that Tena installed the  
postgresql90-server.
$ sudo port install postgresql90-server

Regards,
Bradley Giesbrecht (pixilla)