Re: BUG #18547: bemused by your unhelpful installation guides

On Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 9:42 AM PG Bug reporting form <
noreply@postgresql.org> wrote:

> The following bug has been logged on the website:
>
> Bug reference:      18547
> Logged by:          Neil Watcyn-Palmer
> Email address:      nwpnow@gmail.com
> PostgreSQL version: 16.3
> Operating system:   truenas
> Description:
>
> Hi I am  beyond critical of your documentation
> My research suggested that  Postgresql would install on TRUENAS core    see
>
> https://github.com/stualden/postgresql-misc/blob/main/install_postgres_on_truenas.md
>
> When I step through it features  claimed in the git hub text  are
> inaccurate
> for  release 16.3  - the users and user group are NOT created automatically
> by the pkg install
>
> When they are manually created  and given full access to both source and
> destination mount points  the error  permission denied to  a folder
> structure not stated in the mount points is returned  - what am I to do ?
> Read the manual. I have  and  it is utterly obtuse what to do.
>

The guide you found seems reasonable and I'd expect the pkg installation to
create the users/groups it requires.  If it doesn't it is odd and should be
taken up with the group providing the installation package.  The official
documentation takes the position that it will not try and keep up with the
many various packaging systems out in the wild.  So you will not find
helpful advice in it on how to perform a package-based installation and
configuration.  All it covers is a source code compilation installation
which is not what you want to do.

If you want to search out someone to help the -general mailing list,
Reddit, Slack, Discord, IRC and probably other places are where people
willing to help in that way hang out.

Assuming TrueNAS is indeed built on top FreeBSD as described, and you can
get whatever its equivalent of "root" is to perform all of the actions
shown, PostgreSQL should work, not caring that it is running inside
an appliance.  But we also don't have anyone running a TrueNAS device in
our build farm so it specifically isn't getting tested (FreeBSD is I
believe) on a daily basis.  Though even at that it is the source builds we
test, not packages.

David J.