postgresql-server fails to start in sle-bci container

This document (000021398) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 Service Pack 5

Situation

The postgres server as part of a customised SUSE Linux Enterprise images based on the sle-bci registry.suse.com/bci/bci-base:15.5 image fails to start with the following error:

FATAL: could not create lock file "/run/postgresql/.s.PGSQL.5432.lock": No such file or directory

Resolution

There are three options to prevent the problem.

Use the registry.suse.com/suse/postgres:latest image created by SUSE. See https://registry.suse.com/categories/apps/repositories/suse-postgres16 for more information. This image was designed to ease containerised deployment of postgresql-server.
Install systemd along with postgresql-server
Execute the following command to create /run/postgresql with the metadata specified in /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/postgresql.conf after installing the postgresql-server package :
```
install -d /run/postgresql -m 1775 -g postgres -o postgres
```

Cause

Up until including postgresql-server-15-150500.8.19 the RPM had a dependency on the systemd RPM and its dependency tree.
As part of a general attempt to slim down the SUSE Base Container Image (see https://registry.suse.com/categories/bci) sizes, the dependency on systemd was removed in the postgresql-server-16-150500.10.3.2 maintenance update.
This causes the /run/postgresql/ directory to not get created by systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service as part of the installation.
Based on information in /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/postgresql.conf systemd-tmpfiles-setup.service will create /run/postgresql/ when systemd is installed in the container.

Additional Information

Example of a container creation, which installs the packages, sets up the /run/postgresql directory, initiates PostgreSQL database and starts the PostgreSQL server is shown below.
Note that this is a very simplified example just demonstrating the core basics of the concept. Normally a persistent volume would be used for the data store. Also, once the container is terminated, the volatile /run/ directory is lost.

docker run -it registry.suse.com/bci/bci-base:15.5 /bin/bash -c \
'zypper -n in sudo postgresql-server; \
install -d /run/postgresql -m 1775 -g postgres -o postgres;\
sudo -u postgres pg_ctl init -D /var/lib/pgsql; \
sudo -u postgres pg_ctl -D /var/lib/pgsql start'

Another simplified example is building an image with the PostgreSQL server installed and database initialised. In this case /run/postgresql is preserved for the subsequent instantiations of the image.

Content of Dockerfile :
FROM registry.suse.com/bci/bci-base:15.5
RUN zypper -n in postgresql-server sudo
RUN install -d /run/postgresql -m 1775 -g postgres -o postgres
RUN sudo -u postgres pg_ctl init -D /var/lib/pgsql
ENTRYPOINT sudo -u postgres pg_ctl -D /var/lib/pgsql start && sleep infinity

Build a named image from the Dockerfile :

# docker build -t pg_image .
...
Successfully built 92c45077517a
Successfully tagged pg_image:latest

Run a container from the image :

# docker run -it pg_image
waiting for server to start....2024-03-15 11:10:31.413 UTC   [11]LOG:  redirecting log output to logging collector process
2024-03-15 11:10:31.413 UTC   [11]HINT:  Future log output will appear in directory "log".
 done
server started

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.