failure at starting on postgresql

Question

I installed a postgresql database on Redhat 7.1 and I decided to move the database on a ISCSI device (LUN) inside a logical volume, mounted at starting of the machine (xfs formatted). The mounting point is /var/lib/pgsql

At the boot of the server, postgresql.service is in failed status.

In messages.log :

systemd: mounting /var/lib/pgsql
 starting PostgreSQL database server
 kernel sdv: unknown partition table
 sd 2:0:0:0: [sdb] attached SCSI disk
 xfs (dm-4): Mounting V4 Filesystem
 postgresql-check-db-dir: "/var/lib/pgsql/data" is missing or empty
 postgresql.service: control process exited, code=exited status=1
 Failed to start PostgreSQL database server.

When I'm logged on the server, if it try to start manually the database : systemctl start postgresql --> OK (and I don't lose any data, database is available)

I think it's a problem of order in the boot process : network service must be started, then iscsi, then lvm etc...

So I tried to force dependencies on the /usr/lib/systemd/system/postgresql.service adding "After=lvm-pgscan.service iscsi.service" etc... but it doesn't change anything.

Any ideas ?

Answer 1

Based on the comment string, it appears that editing /usr/lib/systemd/system/postgresql.service with After=local-fs.target fixed the situation. The hint for me was the message:

postgresql-check-db-dir: "/var/lib/pgsql/data" is missing or empty

which implied that postgres was attempting to start before /var was mounted. Adding the after restriction forces systemd to wait until the local filesystem(s) are mounted before starting postgres.