Installing the PostgreSQL database server

Most operating systems that come with a package management solution for open source software make PostgreSQL packages available for installation. In this recipe, we will install PostgreSQL from a package and set it up on your system. Installing the server package automatically installs the PostgreSQL command-line client package, as well.

How to do it...

Perform the following steps to install the PostgreSQL database server:

1. Follow the steps described in the Installing software packages recipe in Chapter 1, Setting Up Your System, to find and install the PostgreSQL database server package.

   Note

   In most package repositories, the PostgreSQL server package is simply named postgresql-server. If your distribution allows you to select among different versions of PostgreSQL, the package names will contain version numbers such as postgresql-9.1 or postgresql93-server. Pick the package with the latest version unless you have reasons to stick with an older one.

2. Click...