November 25, 2010
Install PostgreSQL 9 on OS X
Tested on OS X 10.6.5.
Homebrew
You’re not still using MacPorts, are you? Please go get Homebrew immediately, the new-hotness package manager for OS X written in Ruby. It amazing how simple Homebrew makes this process in comparison to my old instructions on this topic. It’s also nice to be able to peer into friendly-Ruby Homebrew Formulae to see the exact build commands.
Uninstall Old Versions
Initially, I tried a
brew install postgresql over the top of the existing version that was installed via non-Homebrew means. When it was complete, psql --version was still showing 8.4.x. I found it is best to uninstall any old PostgreSQL versions first. Of course,back up your data with pgAdmin or pg_dump.
First, uninstall any Homebrew versions. The
--force option makes it uninstall all versions.brew rm postgresql --force
Via Uninstaller
Second, uninstall any versions installed by other means.
If you installed using EnterpriseDB, you likely have an
uninstall-postgresql.app file in your install directory. Double-click that to uninstall their Postgres install.Manual
I went the manual route. Change paths accordingly for your version.
sudo /sbin/SystemStarter stop postgresql-8.4
sudo rm -rf /Applications/PostgreSQL\ 8.4
sudo rm -rf /etc/postgres-reg.ini
sudo rm -rf /Library/StartupItems/postgresql-8.4
sudo rm -rf /Library/PostgreSQL/8.4
sudo dscl . delete /users/postgres
Edit
/etc/profile and delete any lines that reference “postgres”. For me, there was just one line that had to do with loading Postgres’ Environment file.nano /etc/profile
I rebooted here, to make sure the Postgres startup items were truly gone. Open “Activity Monitor” and ensure there are no “postgres” processes.
Install PostgreSQL
brew update brew install postgresql
Follow the instructions at the end of the install to initialize the DB, add startup items, and start Postgres. For me, it was:
initdb /usr/local/var/postgres cp /usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.0.1/org.postgresql.postgres.plist ~/Library/LaunchAgents launchctl load -w ~/Library/LaunchAgents/org.postgresql.postgres.plist pg_ctl -D /usr/local/var/postgres -l /usr/local/var/postgres/server.log start
Important Note About Authentication
The Homebrew formula does not create a “postgres” user, as was common up to this point. Out of the box, you authenticate against the DB using the same user account under which you ran
brew install. It’s perfectly acceptable to leave it that way on your Dev machine. Don’t forget to change that if this is a Production environment.Instrumentation
Install Instrumentation so pgAdmin doesn’t yell at you. Run this as the same user under which you installed Postgres.
psql -d postgres < /usr/local/Cellar/postgresql/9.0.1/share/contrib/adminpack.sql
Test
Launch pgAdmin, add a DB for “localhost”, and use your username and password.
Install the PG Gem
This installs the “pg” gem that Matz himself wrote. It is recommended over the old “postgres” gem.
env ARCHFLAGS="-arch x86_64" gem install pg
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