Before you can run postgresql you'll need to create the database files in /var/lib/pgsql. The following should do the trick. # su postgres -c "initdb -D /var/lib/pgsql/9.4/data --locale=en_US.UTF-8 -A md5 -W" Additionally, a logrotation script and init script are included. For production level log file handling please read http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/interactive/logfile-maintenance.html In order to start postgresql at boot and stop it properly at shutdown, make sure rc.postgresql is executable and add the following lines to the following files: /etc/rc.d/rc.local ================== # Startup postgresql if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.postgresql ]; then /etc/rc.d/rc.postgresql start fi /etc/rc.d/rc.local_shutdown =========================== # Stop postgres if [ -x /etc/rc.d/rc.postgresql ]; then /etc/rc.d/rc.postgresql stop fi Additionally, rc.postgresql script has additional modes for stop/restart: force-stop|force-restart (i.e. pg_ctl 'fast' mode) unclean-stop|unclean-restart (i.e. pg_ctl 'immediate' mode) See http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/app-pg-ctl.html From PostgreSQL 9.3 we support in place database upgrades using pg_upgrade: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.4/static/pgupgrade.html A few hints for PostgreSQL 9.3 -> 9.4 upgrade: - Don't remove old PostgreSQL 9.3.x package - Install PostgreSQL 9.4.x, note that binaries are in '/usr/lib64/postgresql/9.4/bin' - Follow regular pg_upgrade docs - Remove old package when transition is over, or read comments in rc.postgresql if you want to run multiple PostgreSQL versions in parallel - Run '/var/log/scripts/postgresql-9.4.x-x86_64-1_SBo' (doinst.sh script) from filesystem root, to create symlinks in /usr/bin to PostgreSQL binaries This script builds postgresql with some useful extension modules from the contrib directory, see PG_EXTENSIONS in SlackBuild file. To build PostgreSQL with all extensions, use the following command: # PG_EXTENSIONS=ALL ./postgresql.SlackBuild Please note that in order to actually use extension, you must execute 'CREATE EXTENSION [ IF NOT EXISTS ] extension_name' for each extension. OpenLDAP Notes With OpenLDAP versions 2.4.24 through 2.4.31, inclusive, each backend process that loads libpq (via WAL receiver, dblink, or postgres_fdw) and also uses LDAP will crash on exit. The LDAP wont be enabled (regardless of '--with-ldap' flag in slackbuild) for affected OpenLDAP versions, so we've removed that build flag alltogether. (OpenLDAP 2.4.31 is the version included in Slackware 14.1)