running ebuild /var/db/pkg/dev-db/postgresql-7.2.3-r1.ebuild config results in the following output: * >>> Creating data directory ... * >>> Initializing the database ... /usr/bin/initdb: /dev/null: Permission denied /usr/bin/initdb: /dev/null: Permission denied /usr/bin/initdb: /dev/null: Permission denied /usr/bin/initdb: /dev/null: Permission denied The program '/usr/bin/postgres' needed by initdb does not belong to PostreSQL version 7.2.3 or there may be a configuration problem. This was the error message issued by the program: /usr/bin/initdb: /dev/null: Permission denied
please provide `emerge info`
This is the result of emerge info Portage 2.0.44 (default-x86-1.4, gcc-3.2, glibc-2.2.5-r7) ================================================================= System uname: 2.4.19-gentoo-r9 i686 Pentium III (Katmai) USE="x86 oss 3dnow apm avi crypt cups encode gif gpm java jpeg libg++ mikmod mmx mpeg ncurses nls pdflib png qtmt quicktime spell truetype xml2 xmms xv zlib gdbm berkdb slang readline arts tetex svga tcltk guile postgres X sdl tcpd pam libwww ssl perl python esd imlib oggvorbis gnome gtk qt kde motif opengl ldap" ARCH="x86" COMPILER="gcc3" CHOST="i686-pc-linux-gnu" CFLAGS="-O3 -mcpu=pentium3 -march=pentium3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer " CXXFLAGS="-O3 -mcpu=pentium3 -march=pentium3 -pipe -fomit-frame-pointer " ACCEPT_KEYWORDS="x86" CONFIG_PROTECT="/etc /var/qmail/control /usr/kde/2/share/config /usr/kde/3/share /config /usr/share/config" CONFIG_PROTECT_MASK="/etc/gconf /etc/env.d" MAKEOPTS="-j2" JDK_HOME="/opt/blackdown-jdk-1.3.1" JAVA_HOME="/opt/blackdown-jdk-1.3.1" AUTOCLEAN="yes" SYNC="rsync://rsync.gentoo.org/gentoo-portage" GENTOO_MIRRORS="http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/distributions/gentoo"
try changing the postgres user in /etc/passwd to a shell account.
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 10367 ***