Moving the location of the PostGIS database¶

One does not normally need to change the location of the PostgreSQL/PostGIS database on the file system, but it can be done.

By default, the database is typically located in the following locations:

Operating system	File path
Windows	`C:\ProgramData\Boundless\OpenGeo\pgsql\9.3`
OS X	`~/Library/Application\ Support/PostGIS`
Ubuntu Linux	`/var/lib/postgresql/9.3/main`
Red Hat / CentOS Linux	`/var/lib/pgsql/9.3/data`

Please see the instructions specific to your operating system.

Windows¶

Open Windows Services (typically Control Panel ‣ Administrative Tools ‣ Services or Start ‣ Run ‣ services.msc) and stop the OpenGeo PostgreSQL service.

Note

You can also use the Stop shortcut for PostGIS in the Start Menu.
Open the file pg_config.cmd, typically located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Boundless\OpenGeo\bin, in a text editor. (For permissions reasons, you may wish to open the text editor as an administrator.)
Change the line:
```
set pg_data_dir=%data%\pgsql\%pg_version%\
```
to:
```
set pg_data_dir=<NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as D:\pgdata)
Start the OpenGeo PostgreSQL service.

Quit the PostGIS application using the menu.
In a terminal, move the location of the data directory:
```
sudo mv ~/Library/Application\ Support/PostGIS <NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as ~/pgdata)

Create a symlink from the old path the new one:

ln -s ~/Library/Application\ Support/PostGIS <NEWPATH>

There are two ways to accomplish this in Ubuntu: use a symlink or edit the configuration file.

Using a symlink:

Stop the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql stop
```
Move the location of the data directory:
```
sudo mv /var/lib/postgresql/9.3/main <NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as /opt/pgdata)
Create a symlink from the old path the new one:
```
ln -s /var/lib/postgresql/9.3/main <NEWPATH>
```
Start the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql start
```

Editing the configuration file:

Stop the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql stop
```
Move the location of the data directory:
```
sudo mv /var/lib/postgresql/9.3/main <NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as /opt/pgdata)
Open /etc/postgresql/9.3/main/postgresql.conf in a text editor (with super user privileges).
Find the line that reads data_directory=/var/lib/postgresql/9.3/main and change the path to the <NEWPATH> determined above.
Save and close the file.
Start the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql start
```

There are two ways to accomplish this in Red Hat / CentOS: use a symlink or edit the configuration file.

Using a symlink:

Stop the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql-9.3 stop
```
Move the location of the data directory:
```
sudo mv /var/lib/pgsql/9.3/data <NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as /opt/pgdata)
Create a symlink from the old path the new one:
```
ln -s /var/lib/pgsql/9.3/data <NEWPATH>
```
Start the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql-9.3 start
```

Editing the configuration file:

Stop the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql-9.3 stop
```
Move the location of the data directory:
```
sudo mv /var/lib/pgsql/9.3/data <NEWPATH>
```
where <NEWPATH> would be the desired path (such as /opt/pgdata)
Open /etc/rc.d/init.d/postgresql-9.3 in a text editor (with super user privileges).
Find the line that starts with PGDATA and and change the path to the <NEWPATH> determined above.
Save and close the file.
Start the PostgreSQL service:
```
sudo service postgresql start
```