Argthtjtr

In my fresh Ubuntu 18.04 --

$ lsb_release -a

No LSB modules are available.

Distributor ID: Ubuntu

Description:    Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

Release:    18.04

Codename:   bionic

Installed PostgreSQL 10 --

$ apt list --installed | grep -i postgres

postgresql-client-10/bionic,now 10.3-1 amd64 [installed]

postgresql-client-common/bionic,bionic,now 190 all [installed,automatic]

postgresql-common/bionic,bionic,now 190 all [installed,automatic]

postgresql-server-dev-10/bionic,now 10.3-1 amd64 [installed]

postgresql-server-dev-all/bionic,bionic,now 190 all [installed]

Both service and systemctl return immediately with no message but didn't start any postgres process --

$ sudo service postgresql restart

$ sudo systemctl restart postgresql

I'm completely at dark as there's neither conf nor log --

$ ll /etc/postgresql

total 8

drwxr-xr-x  2 root root 4096 Feb  8 12:26 ./

drwxr-xr-x 95 root root 4096 May  6 04:11 ../



$ ll /var/log/postgresql/

total 8

drwxrwxr-t  2 root postgres 4096 Feb  8 12:26 ./

drwxrwxr-x 10 root syslog   4096 May  6 04:10 ../

What is going on there? Any pointer will be much appreciated.

Edit: to make things worse, PostgreSQL 10 is the only listed package in Ubuntu 18.04, there's no obvious "apt" way to install older version of PostgreSQL

From the result of apt list --installed you don't have a PostgreSQL 10 server actually installed.

The name of the package is exactly postgresql-10 :
https://packages.ubuntu.com/bionic/database/postgresql-10 . You should install that package.

The lack of error of systemctl and the fact that a postgresql service does exist are confusing: it's because postgresql is an "umbrella" service that launches every postgresql instance installed and configured. In your case you currently have zero such instance, but that's fine as far as the postgresql service is concerned. In the most general case, you may have several different versions of PostgreSQL running concurrently (from different packages postgresql-<version>), and several instances of the same version too (from the same package).

I'd suggest to check your PostgreSQL instances with pg_lsclusters rather than systemctl. See also pg_ctlcluster to control them.

05/13/2018

DISCLAIMER: This is for postgresql 10 and ubuntu 18.04, and may or may not work for other versions. PS: If you have been tampering with the language settings lately, please tell me, because there may be a connection with the postgres failure

Yesterday I was having the exact same problem, and nobody on the entire internet could help me, so I went rogue... And it worked!

First and foremost, if you have any database with data you are interested in keeping, I cant help you there; you will have to figure out a way to backup all your data.

Now onto the actual steps (this is exactly what I did, the steps between [ ] you may skip):

sudo apt remove --purge postgres*
[ sudo apt remove --purge pg* ]

sudo apt autoremove

sudo apt autoclean

sudo apt clean
[ sudo find / -name "*postgres*" -type f -delete ] -> this may delete any backups

Now make sure you have this line in /etc/apt/sources.list

deb http://cz.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic main

If you don't, just add it... Lets continue:

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade

sudo apt install -y postgresql-10 postgresql-contrib postgresql-client
[ sudo apt install -y postgresql-server pgadmin3 ] -> this you may need for metasploit
[ sudo reboot ]

Now you have to check if the necessary directories were created:
/etc/postgresql/10/main -> config files
/usr/lib/postgresql/10/bin -> scripts & executables
/var/run/postgresql -> temporary files
/var/lib/postgresql/10/main -> folders

If any of those don't exist, I cant help you. You also need to make sure the user postgres exists Lets continue:

sudo chown root /usr/lib/postgresql -R

sudo chgrp root /usr/lib/postgresql -R

sudo chmod 755 /usr/lib/postgresql -R

Now go edit /etc/environment and add this to the PATH: /usr/lib/postgresql/10/bin

sudo chown postgres /etc/postgresql -R

sudo chgrp postgres /etc/postgresql -R

sudo chmod 700 /etc/postgresql -R

sudo echo "" > /etc/postgresql/10/main/postgresql.log

sudo chown postgresql /etc/postgresql/10/main/postgresql.log

sudo chgrp postgresql /etc/postgresql/10/main/postgresql.log

sudo chmod 700 /etc/postgresql/10/main/postgresql.log

sudo mkdir /var/run/postgresql/10-main.pg_stat_tmp

sudo chown postgres /var/run/postgresql/10-main.pg_stat_tmp -R

sudo chgrp postgres /var/run/postgresql/10-main.pg_stat_tmp -R

sudo chmod 700 /var/run/postgresql/10-main.pg_stat_tmp -R

Create /var/lib/postgresql/.bashrc and write this to it

shopt -s histappend

HISTSIZE=1000

HISTFILESIZE=2000

shopt -s checkwinsize

case "$TERM" in

    xterm-color|*-256color) color_prompt=yes;;

esac

force_color_prompt=yes

if [ -n "$force_color_prompt" ]; then

    if [ -x /usr/bin/tput ] && tput setaf 1 >&/dev/null; then

    color_prompt=yes

    else

    color_prompt=

    fi

fi 

if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then

    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}[33[01;32m]u@h[33[00m]:[33[01;34m]w[33[00m]$ '

else

    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}u@h:w$ '

fi

unset color_prompt force_color_prompt

if [ -x /usr/bin/dircolors ]; then

    test -r ~/.dircolors && eval "$(dircolors -b ~/.dircolors)" || eval "$(dircolors -b)"

    alias ls='ls --color=auto'

    alias grep='grep --color=auto'

    alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'

    alias egrep='egrep --color=auto'

fi

alias ll='ls -alF'

alias la='ls -A'

alias l='ls -CF'

if ! shopt -oq posix; then

  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then

    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion

  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then

    . /etc/bash_completion

  fi

fi

source /etc/environment

And then:

sudo chown postgresql /var/lib/postgresql/.bashrc

sudo chgrp postgresql /var/lib/postgresql/.bashrc

sudo chmod 664 /var/lib/postgresql/.bashrc
[ sudo reboot ]

And now for the final part:

sudo su

su postgresql

To start postgresql:

pg_ctl start -D /etc/postgresql/10/main -l /etc/postgresql/10/main/postgresql.log

To end it:

kill $(cat /var/run/postgresql/10-main.pid)

Basic configuration (enter the postgresql interpreter):

psql

du+ -> list postgresql users
l -> list postgresql databases
createuser and dropuser -> self explanatory
createdb and dropdb -> self explanatory

EXTRA: METASPLOIT

If anyone reading this needs postgresql for metasploit, you can follow this link (its for 16.04 but works fine in 18.04), there is a mistake however: At some point, you will need to run this:
rvm --default use ruby-${RUBY_VERSION}@metasploit-framework gem pristine --all
Instead of the suggested:
rvm --default use ruby-${RUByVERSION}@metasploit-framework

Furthermore, if you run into trouble with the ruby bundle install part, this command may save your life: gem pristine --all

Had the same issue here. Removed everything postgres related (apt remove --purge), deleted all remaining directories from postgres 9 and reinstalled postgres 10 again. Then config files under /etc/postgresql/ appeared and database could be started. HTH.

DISCLAIMER: This is for postgresql 10 and ubuntu 18.04, and may or may not work for other versions.

Follow the answer provided by Mr Robot except recognize:

• The user and group are postgres, so the commands should use chown -R postgres:postgres ...
  


• I'm not sure what's up with /lib/systemd/system/postgresql.service although somehow /lib/systemd/system/postgresql@.service manages a PostgreSQL cluster? Either way I guess it was already running by the time I followed the instructions, and after reboot (which should be unnecessary?) it came back online, so I guess it works.

Just use

service postgresql@10-main start

and it works. Don't know exactly why this happens in 18.04 only (I verified 17.10 and it doesn't happen there), but the 'umbrella' seems unable to enumerate the installed instances.

HTH,