Frequently Asked Questions about psycopg
****************************************

Index
-----

1.   Install problems
1.1  How do I install ZPsycopgDA with a pre-packaged Zope?
1.2  What PostgreSQL/Zope are supported?
1.3  Why the configure script does not find pg_type.h?
1.4 What do I do if I get a "shared object not started" error?

2.   Distributions and architectures
2.1  Does psycopg work on Debian GNU/Linux?
2.2  Does psycopg work on RedHat?
2.3  Does psycopg work on Mandrake 8?


* 1. Install problems

** 1.1  How do I install ZPsycopgDA with a pre-packaged Zope?

[The answer was written by Julio Monteiro and sent to the psycopg
 mailing list, I just edited it a little bit.]

After installing you pre-packaged version of Zope (and python that
comes bundled to it), get mxDateTime from:

    http://www.egenix.com/files/python/eGenix-mx-Extensions.html

unpack it and then run:

    $ZOPE_HOME/bin/python setup.py install

where $ZOPE_HOME is the directory where you unpacked Zope. This step
install the mxDateTime package in the bundled python directories. Then
download the latest version of psycopg from:

    http://initd.org/software/psycopg

untar it and configure with a command like the following one (all on a
single line and you'll need to adjust the paths accordingly to your
PostgreSQL installation, etc.):

    ./configure --with-python=$ZOPE_HOME/bin/python 
      --with-zope=$ZOPE_HOME 
      --with-mxdatetime-includes=$ZOPE_HOME/lib/python2.1/site-packages/mx/DateTime/mxDateTime 
      --with-postgres-includes=/usr/include/postgresql

You may have a problem like:

    /config.status: /lib/python2.1/config/makesetup: Permission denied

Try giving makesetup exec permissions (Zope does not do it by default.)

Then you will need to modify the Makefile by hand around line 90,
where it sets CFLAGS, just add:

    -I/path/to/zope/include/python2.1/

Then run:

    make
    make install
    make install-zope

after make install, you will have the file 'psycopgmodule.so' located
in your zope root folder. That won't do, so you have to move the file
to $ZOPE_HOME/lib/python2.1/lib-dynload/.

That's all!

** 1.2  What PostgreSQL/Zope are supported?

psycopg supports any PostgreSQL version from 7.x up. Almost any `modern'
Zope, from 2.3.xup works. Python 1.5.x, 2.1.x and 2.2.x are
supported. psycopg can be modified to work wih PostgreSQL 6.x but nobody
really wants to use it nowdays.

** 1.3 Why the configure script does not find pg_type.h?

PostgreSQL build procedure does not install all the headers. Make sure
to install them with "make install-all-headers", as documented in
Chapter 1, section 1.5 of the Postgres 7.2 Admin Guide pdf document.

Also, if you don't want/can't compile the database for yourself, make
sure that you install a package that provides postgresql header
files. Often these packages have a name similar to the database package
but containing the word 'dev'.

** 1.4 What do I do if I get a "shared object not started" error?

Your dynamic linker does not find the PostgreSQL libraries. You have two
options: reinstall POstgreSQL by telling the configure script to put the
libraries in some standard place:

    ./configure --includedir=/usr/include/pgsql --libdir=/usr/lib

or just configure the dynamic linker search path either by modifying its
configuration file (/etc/ld.so.conf) or by defining the LD_LIBRARY_PATH
environment variable. (This works on GNU/Linux, on other systems your
mileage may vary.)

* 2.   Distributions and architectures

** 2.1  Does psycopg work on Debian GNU/Linux?

Yes, it works both on 2.3 (potato, packages available from psycopg
homepage) and 3.0 (woody, sinply apt-get it from the nearest Debian
mirror.)

** 2.2  Does psycopg work on RedHat?

There are no official psycopf RPMs, but from 1.0.6 onward the psycopg
distribution include a spec file for building RPM packages. Modify it
with your favourite editor and then issue the build command as
explained in the first lines of the psycopg.spec file.

UPDATE: we now have RPMs on the website (the distribution still includes
the spec file, though.)

** 2.3 Does psycopg work on Madrake?

Yes, but installing it can be quite difficult, especially if using a
pre-packaged Zope. Here is some info sent by a Mandrake user:

Install Zope by unzipping first using:

    tar -zxvf Zope-2.5.1-linux2-x86.tgz
    mv Zope-2.5.1-linux2-x86 Zope-2.5.1

and then follow the Zope "INSTALL.txt" found in the subfolder "doc/" At
the end of this you should have Zope-2.5.1 folder in your home folder.

If you are using Mandrake ver 8.2 (should work for 8.1 also) then you
need get Python2.1 because Mandrake installs Python2.2 by default. Go to
www.python.org and under the download section get the following rpms:

    python2.1-2.1.3-1.i386.rpm
    python2.1-devel-2.1.3-1.i386.rpm

and install them (using the rpm --nodeps switch if necessary.) This step
might be absolutely necessary for most installations cause you may not
have Python development libraries. Don't skip this.

Now we can proceed to install egenix as below. Make sure exit the root
login and are back in your home folder.

    tar -zxvf egenix-mx-base-2.0.3.tar.gz
    cd egenix-mx-base-2.0.3
    ~/Zope-2.5.1/bin/python setup.py install

Next lets install psycopg (finally!)

    tar -zxvf psycopg-1.0.8.tar.gz
    cd psycopg-1.0.8
    ./configure --with-postgres-libraries=/usr/lib
      --with-postgres-includes=/usr/include/pgsql
      --with-mxdatetime-includes=/usr/lib/python2.1/site-packages/mx/DateTime/mxDateTime
      --with-zope=~/Zope-2.5.1 --with-python=~/Zope-2.5.1/bin/python
      --with-python-version=2.1 --with-python-exec-prefix=/home/zope/Zope-2.5.1
    make && make install && make install-zope

If the last step fails just move the dir ZPsycopgDA like this:

    mv ZPsycopgDA ~/Zope-2.5.1/lib/python/Products/

And also mv this file which is in your Zope folder:

    mv ~/Zope-2.5.1/psycopgmodule.so ~/Zope.2.5.1/lib/python2.1/lib-dynload/

And eventually:

    ~/Zope-2.5.1/start &

That should do it. I am sure there will be some problems as our
configurations differ and also since most of you out there are newbies
like me so just post on the mailing lists like I did.  That helps cause
you get some clues that will guide your thinking to your specific
problem.