From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: rscottwatson@gmail.com
cc: pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org
Subject: Re: initdb
In-reply-to: <20180115213024.3624.26539@wrigleys.postgresql.org>
References: <20180115213024.3624.26539@wrigleys.postgresql.org>
Comments: In-reply-to =?utf-8?q?PG_Doc_comments_form?=
 <noreply@postgresql.org>
	message dated "Mon, 15 Jan 2018 21:30:24 +0000"
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Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 16:56:06 -0500
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=?utf-8?q?PG_Doc_comments_form?= <noreply@postgresql.org> writes:
> So I was trying to create a new db with initdb.  I tried to run this with
> the postgres user after installing the server rpm and it failed with runuser
> may not be run as non-root users.   So then for fun I tried to run init db
> as the root user which should have failed but instead it just reported
> initializing database ... OK

hmm, worksforme:

$ sudo initdb -D someplace
initdb: cannot be run as root
Please log in (using, e.g., "su") as the (unprivileged) user that will
own the server process.

Were you actually running initdb directly, or some script that perhaps
sudo'd internally?

			regards, tom lane