PostgreSQL DB - location and movement (SOLVED, I hope)
vwrangler
Posts: 4,825
EDIT: New question asked in this post here.
EDIT 2: New question solution found.
I apologize for the redundancy, since I'm sure this question has been asked and answered more than a few times by now, but basic search isn't specific enough, and advanced search is still broken.
So: I may be getting a new computer and/or moving the location of my content in the next few weeks. I was wondering where the actual database that PostgreSQL is using is located on my computer. Is it just the startling number of DSX files stored in Runtime\Support? Is there an actual database other than that somewhere? If so, where?
I've exported UserData more than once, and those files are in Runtime\Support, but there's nothing remotely approaching the size of the UserData files in there.
I don't mean the PostgreSQL.exe itself; I know where that is. I'm just looking to find the actual database with the content.
I'm using Windows 7 64-bit.
I've looked in Appdata/Roaming/DAZ 3D, but there wasn't anything big enough to look like a database that I saw there.
Any information will be much appreciated. (Also, perhaps it could be added to the FAQ in this forum section so that there's a central location. Or if there actually is a main post with that information, maybe a crosslink?)
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Comments
It will depend on where you requested it be installed to. It's been too long sicne I installed it so my memory fails on where the default location is, but ... Preferences> CMS Settings will show where the "Cluster Directory" is, and that's your Postgres Database.
THANK YOU! I didn't remember that was even in the Preferences, and it turns out that I left it where the default installation was (AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D\cms\ as it turned out -- don't know how I missed THAT!). And ... wow. That is quite a lot of database, that is. The different files in the cms\ContentCluster\base subdirectories can be kind of huge. And yet, also a number of zero K files as well.
Anyway, thank you! Now I know I just need to shuttle over the entire AppData\Roaming\DAZ 3D directory to keep everything from breaking as well as the main content directories.
Yes, I was kind of surprised just how scattergun the wealth of files that make up the database are too! :)
Sorry to bump an old thread, but since this is what it was all about anyway and I did start the thread, I figured it made as much sense.
In any event, the new title is the new issue. I got a new Windows 7 Pro computer, moved all the PostgreSQL CMS files from the old Appdata directory to the new one, relocated the content, reinstalled Studio, let it reinstall Valentina then stopped it immediately from the Services Manager, downloaded and installed PostgreSQL from the product library ... and PostgreSQL won't start. Won't start for Studio, won't start for DIM -- although DiM is in surprisingly good shape, really.
I can see all the content in the Content Library, which is my normal method of using things, but it's going to mess up Transfer Utility and a few other things if I can't get it started.
I've reinstalled PostgreSQL both with DIM and with its separate installer, without success, and I've reinstalled Studio twice, but since Studio still has Valentina as its default install, I don't see how that's going to be terribly helpful.
The log file has a profoundly unhelpful message
When starting Studio, normally there's a message on the screen that says "Connecting to CMS", but I haven't seen that message at all; I think the error is so fast that it never even shows the message.
I tried reimporting metadata, but that didn't work, since Postgres won't start. Tried to have it scan directories for new content; more of the same.
I could understand if Studio was upset because I relocated the content directory to a new disk, but I looked at the support files and all the paths are relative. It's literally not possible for it to know that the directory is on a different disk as long as the directory structure is maintained below the top level content directory, which it was.
Any suggestions?
I would suggest going back to the basics.
Fire up DIM
Un-install PostgreSQL CMS (if it shows as installed)
Install PostgreSQL CMS
Look at the DIM log file (click the gear icon, then 'show log'; scroll to the bottom, and see if this line is present: "Connected to CMS: PostgreSQL 9.3.4, compiled by Visual C++ "
If so, you're ready to see if Studio will connect.
It looks like I figured out what was going on. So, for posterity's sake:
In the C:\users\username\Appdata\Roaming\DAZ 3D directory where the actual database is, there's a dzinstall.ini file that lists all the paths for things. By default, it appears that if the file exists, the DAZ installers will not alter it or check to see if the paths contained in it have changed, even if you enter new directory information into the Studio and DIM installers. So if you get a new Windows computer, if some of the paths change, the steps need to include:
1. Copy over all the stuff in the C:\users\username\Appdata\Roaming\DAZ 3D
2. After the copy is complete (or before you start, if you remember), go into that directory, find and delete dzinstall.ini
3. Reinstall Studio.
4. Stop Valentina and set it to manual or disabled in the Services Manager (unless you're also using Bryce or Carrara, in which case, skip this step).
4. Start Studio, go into it, and in the preferences, tell it where the database content cluster is. If you've left the main program and installer paths as the default, the Content Cluster directory will be C:\users\username\Appdata\Roaming\DAZ 3D\cms\ContentCluster. Save and apply preferences.
5. Exit Studio.
6. Install PostgreSQL.
7. Install DIM, if you use it.
8. Check to make sure DIM didn't activate Valentina; it shouldn't now, I don't think, but better to be sure.
9. Start Studio.
10. Have metadata fun! (That is, spend unspecified amounts of time reimporting metadata and processing the metadata queue.)
In all seriousness, the DAZ PostgreSQL installer really needs either an Advanced mode, or a step where it says, "According to the information I have, this is the directory where your ContentCluster should be". It also needs some sort of quick-detect step where it can say, "OK, this path is wrong. I have checked, and there ain't no contentcluster directory where I'm looking."
Anyway, I hope this may be of use to someone else someday.
I did figure out the issue, as noted above. I had checked this, but DIM was also not starting any PostgreSQL processes, since the dzinstall.ini file wasn't telling it where the database was. I'm kind of surprised that it wasn't throwing off error messages or having any issues, but it looks like all DIM needs to be happy is to know where its DSX installer files are and where it's supposed to put things. The database is just the lagniappe, a little something extra that's nice but not actually necessary. Which is weird.