Test if server started correctly

Hello,
I'm using Postgres 8.2 on Solaris and I need to check whether or not the server started correctly in a bash script. The problem I have is that I don't know what is the correct way to check that a postgres startup failed.

- The init.d script doesn't set the errno value so I can't get a return value

- The pg_ctl wrapper doesn't set the errno value either !

- the postgres binary sets the errno in case of a failure but the problem is that, my script is run by root so I have to su to postgres user:



and in this case, I can't get the return value from the postgres command.

What is then the correct way to check that the server started correctly ? Look for the .pid file ?

Thanks,
Tex

Hello,
I find two solutions.
1-

returns 1 if the server is not running.

2- I could check for the existance of the postmaster.pid file

Tex

I'm not sure if solution 2. is good, sometimes it may happen that postgres did not stop correctly, you kill it for example and postmaster.pid isin't deleted (students often do that . And the situation is postgres is not working, postmaster.pid exists.