Postgresql: cannot create tablespace due to permissions

Question

I know there has been a dozen times a similar question, but I could not find an answer that worked for me.

I have a Debian 9 machine, fresh from install on which I have installed a Postgresql 9.6 server. I am trying to create a new tablespace but it fails. The command :

CREATE TABLESPACE newTableSPace LOCATION '/DATA/PostgreSQL/';

Returns the following error :

ERROR: could not set permissions on directory "/DATA/PostgreSQL": Permission denied
SQL state: 42501

So, after a few basis searches, I have already checked the following points :

• The directory /DATA/PostgreSQL exists
• Its owner/group is postgres:postgres
• The rights on the directory are 770
• SELinux is apparently not installed (in Synaptic, libselinux1 is installed, but all selinux commands that I have tried returned me "command not found". Examples : selinuxenabled, setenforce 0).

I am running out of ideas.

Anybody has a suggestion ?

Answer 1

And I just found the solution !

The problem was the permissions of the user postgres not on directory /DATA/PostgreSQL/ but on the directory /DATA, on which it had no permission at all (it belonged to the current user with rights 770).

I have changed the permissions on this folder to 775. I guess another way would be to make the user postgres belong to the group that owns the DATA folder.