# installing postgres - error with initdb -D /path/to/pg\_data **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [October 27, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932 "2021-10-27T11:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dulhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/dulhaver/32/1061_2.png) [@dulhaver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dulhaver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 11:55am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/1 "2021-10-27T11:55:20Z")
I have a playbook to install postgresql on a rhel8 target one TASK should start the initdb process … \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ - name: configure postgres - create database command: “{{ postgres\_home }}/bin/initdb -D {{ postgres\_data }}” args: creates: “{{ postgres\_data }}/PG\_VERSION” become: yes become\_user: postgres \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ but fails with an “initdb: error: cannot be run as root” error \*details below \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ TASK [configure postgres - create database] \*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\*\* fatal: [[vm-51150-0180.step.zrz.dvz.cn-mv.de](http://vm-51150-0180.step.zrz.dvz.cn-mv.de)]: FAILED! =\> changed=true cmd: - /opt/db/postgres/postgresql/bin/initdb - -D - /opt/db/data/postgres/data delta: ‘0:00:00.009346’ end: ‘2021-10-27 11:54:25.210944’ msg: non-zero return code rc: 1 start: ‘2021-10-27 11:54:25.201598’ stderr: |- initdb: error: cannot be run as root Please log in (using, e.g., “su”) as the (unprivileged) user that will own the server process. stderr\_lines: stdout: ‘’ stdout\_lines: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ the TASK however has a particular become\_user: postgres specified. Furthermore Selinux is set to @permissive in an erlier TASK. Manually running /opt/db/postgres/postgresql/bin/initdb -D /opt/db/data/postgres/data/ on the target as user postgres works, so I can not make much sense of this. It’s kind of obvious the become process does not work, but I can’t figure out why. Plaid a bit with indentation, but did not find any solution that works ---
**Author:** ![dulhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/dulhaver/32/1061_2.png) [@dulhaver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dulhaver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/2 "2021-10-27T13:32:45Z")
- here is the [entire playbook](https://pastebin.com/edit/9Uvjdupe) - here is the [defaults\_postgres.yml](https://pastebin.com/ZKjis1BA) I refer to in it I am wondering whether the use of a … - ansible\_become\_user: root - ansbile\_postgres\_user: postgres … in the same context may be related to my problem ---
**Author:** ![Jorge\_Rua1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a87d85/32.png) [@Jorge\_Rua1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Jorge_Rua1)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 2:45pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/3 "2021-10-27T14:45:18Z")
Hey! We can’t access the playbook here - [https://pastebin.com/edit/9Uvjdupe](https://pastebin.com/edit/9Uvjdupe) at least I can’t. pastebin redirects me to the login page. I can however access default\_postgres.yml file I’m going to assume you are using sudo as become\_method. I am also going to assume selinux is not part of the issue here, nor standard unix permissions or posix acls. When you run the task manually: /opt/db/postgres/postgresql/bin/initdb -D /opt/db/data/postgres/data/ on the target as user postgres … say you login as root to the machine then you run su - postgres, right? At this point you are running commands as postgres. I’m wondering if you can mimic that very same behaviour adding become\_flags to the equation: - name: configure postgres - create database command: “{{ postgres\_home }}/bin/initdb -D {{ postgres\_data }}” args: creates: “{{ postgres\_data }}/PG\_VERSION” become: yes become\_flags: “su - {{ ansible\_postgres\_user }} -c” become\_user: “{{ ansible\_postgres\_user }}” Please let me know if that works, Regards, ---
**Author:** ![Antony\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Antony\_Stone](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Antony_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/4 "2021-10-27T14:47:24Z")
Just remove the word "edit/" from that first URL. Antony. ---
**Author:** ![dulhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/dulhaver/32/1061_2.png) [@dulhaver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dulhaver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/5 "2021-10-27T15:02:39Z")
sorry, yes: [https://pastebin.com/9Uvjdupe](https://pastebin.com/9Uvjdupe) ---
**Author:** ![dulhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/dulhaver/32/1061_2.png) [@dulhaver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dulhaver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/6 "2021-10-27T15:11:48Z")
I figured out that apparently using ansible\_become\_user: root in the defaults.yml is meesing things up Changing ansible\_become\_user: root to ansible\_root\_user: root in the defaults file and the playbok makes this issue going away. Apparently the term ansible\_become\_user is more then just a string and overwrites all other become\_user occurences. If I remember correctly it may be even workable to skip the become\_user: xyz (and just say become: yes) in the playbook if I do not want to become anyone else then root and likewise share me this sort of trouble ---
**Author:** ![racke](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/racke/32/4767_2.png) [@racke](https://forum.ansible.com/u/racke)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/7 "2021-10-27T15:20:52Z")
> I figured out that apparently using ansible\_become\_user: root in the defaults.yml is meesing things up > > Changing > ansible\_become\_user: root > to > ansible\_root\_user: root > > in the defaults file and the playbok makes this issue going away. Apparently the term ansible\_become\_user is more then just a string and overwrites all other become\_user occurences. I think there is actually no need to set these variables at all as "root" is the default. Regards          Racke ---
**Author:** ![dulhaver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/dulhaver/32/1061_2.png) [@dulhaver](https://forum.ansible.com/u/dulhaver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/installing-postgres-error-with-initdb-d-path-to-pg-data/35932/8 "2021-10-27T18:01:27Z")
I think so to. Just got carried away with it somewhat