PostgreSQL Installation and Configuration

Also referred to as Postgres, PostgreSQL is an object-relational database management system with emphasis on extensibility and standards compliance.

PostgreSQL can handle workloads ranging from small single-machine applications to large Internet-facing applications, or for data warehousing, with many concurrent users. PostgreSQL is ACID-compliant and transactional. PostgreSQL has updatable views and materialized views, triggers, foreign keys, supports functions and stored procedures, and offers other expandability.

PostgreSQL is developed by the PostgreSQL Global Development Group, a diverse group of many companies and individual contributors. It is free and open-source, released under the terms of the PostgreSQL license, a permissive software license. For more information, visit postgresql.org.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Platform 64 Bit 32 Bit
Windows Version 2022, 2019

PostgreSQL Installer

Use the following installer to set up PostgreSQL: postgresql-16.2.1-1-windows-x64.exe or later version. The PostgreSQL executable is installed as part of the HyperMesh software installation. You will see another installer along with Altair HyperWorks products for installing PostGresDB.

Install PostgreSQL

In this section you will learn how to install PostgreSQL.

It is recommended to perform the installation using the values and options as detailed below. Also, when prompted for a Windows admin password, create a new password.

  1. Open a command prompt in admin mode.
  2. Launch the installer (postgresql-16.2.1-1-windows-x64.exe) from the command prompt.
    Note: You should launch the installer from the command prompt only. This will auto-resolve the path to Windows native utilities needed for PostgreSQL to install and work correctly.
  3. Launch the pgAdmin 4 tool (included with the installation) in admin mode, and add one user with full rights:
    1. Expand the Servers node until you see the Login/Group Roles node, as shown in the following image.
      Figure 1.


    2. Right-click Login/Group Roles and select Create > Login/Group Role... from the context menu.
      The Login Role dialog displays.
    3. On the General tab in the Name field, type hweuser.
    4. Click the Definition tab, and complete the following:
      • In the Password field, type hwe_123.
      • Set the connection limit at 30 if it is not specified.
    5. Click the Privileges tab and set all fields to Yes.
      Figure 2.


    6. Click Save.
  4. Create a customized pg_hba.conf file:
    1. Open a text editor, such as Notepad, on your system.
    2. Copy and paste the following code into the text editor.
      # PostgreSQL Client Authentication Configuration File
      # ===================================================
      #
      # Refer to the "Client Authentication" section in the PostgreSQL
      # documentation for a complete description of this file.  A short
      # synopsis follows.
      #
      # This file controls: which hosts are allowed to connect, how clients
      # are authenticated, which PostgreSQL user names they can use, which
      # databases they can access.  Records take one of these forms:
      #
      # local         DATABASE  USER  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      # host          DATABASE  USER  ADDRESS  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      # hostssl       DATABASE  USER  ADDRESS  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      # hostnossl     DATABASE  USER  ADDRESS  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      # hostgssenc    DATABASE  USER  ADDRESS  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      # hostnogssenc  DATABASE  USER  ADDRESS  METHOD  [OPTIONS]
      #
      # (The uppercase items must be replaced by actual values.)
      #
      # The first field is the connection type: "local" is a Unix-domain
      # socket, "host" is either a plain or SSL-encrypted TCP/IP socket,
      # "hostssl" is an SSL-encrypted TCP/IP socket, and "hostnossl" is a
      # non-SSL TCP/IP socket.  Similarly, "hostgssenc" uses a
      # GSSAPI-encrypted TCP/IP socket, while "hostnogssenc" uses a
      # non-GSSAPI socket.
      #
      # DATABASE can be "all", "sameuser", "samerole", "replication", a
      # database name, or a comma-separated list thereof. The "all"
      # keyword does not match "replication". Access to replication
      # must be enabled in a separate record (see example below).
      #
      # USER can be "all", a user name, a group name prefixed with "+", or a
      # comma-separated list thereof.  In both the DATABASE and USER fields
      # you can also write a file name prefixed with "@" to include names
      # from a separate file.
      #
      # ADDRESS specifies the set of hosts the record matches.  It can be a
      # host name, or it is made up of an IP address and a CIDR mask that is
      # an integer (between 0 and 32 (IPv4) or 128 (IPv6) inclusive) that
      # specifies the number of significant bits in the mask.  A host name
      # that starts with a dot (.) matches a suffix of the actual host name.
      # Alternatively, you can write an IP address and netmask in separate
      # columns to specify the set of hosts.  Instead of a CIDR-address, you
      # can write "samehost" to match any of the server's own IP addresses,
      # or "samenet" to match any address in any subnet that the server is
      # directly connected to.
      #
      # METHOD can be "trust", "reject", "md5", "password", "scram-sha-256",
      # "gss", "sspi", "ident", "peer", "pam", "ldap", "radius" or "cert".
      # Note that "password" sends passwords in clear text; "md5" or
      # "scram-sha-256" are preferred since they send encrypted passwords.
      #
      # OPTIONS are a set of options for the authentication in the format
      # NAME=VALUE.  The available options depend on the different
      # authentication methods -- refer to the "Client Authentication"
      # section in the documentation for a list of which options are
      # available for which authentication methods.
      #
      # Database and user names containing spaces, commas, quotes and other
      # special characters must be quoted.  Quoting one of the keywords
      # "all", "sameuser", "samerole" or "replication" makes the name lose
      # its special character, and just match a database or username with
      # that name.
      #
      # This file is read on server startup and when the server receives a
      # SIGHUP signal.  If you edit the file on a running system, you have to
      # SIGHUP the server for the changes to take effect, run "pg_ctl reload",
      # or execute "SELECT pg_reload_conf()".
      #
      # Put your actual configuration here
      # ----------------------------------
      #
      # If you want to allow non-local connections, you need to add more
      # "host" records.  In that case you will also need to make PostgreSQL
      # listen on a non-local interface via the listen_addresses
      # configuration parameter, or via the -i or -h command line switches.
      
      
      
      # TYPE  DATABASE        USER            ADDRESS                 METHOD
      
      # "local" is for Unix domain socket connections only
      local   all             all                                     md5
      # IPv4 local connections:
      host    all             all             127.0.0.1/32            md5
      # IPv6 local connections:
      host    all             all             ::1/128                 md5
      # Allow replication connections from localhost, by a user with the
      # replication privilege.
      local   replication     all                                     md5
      host    replication     all             127.0.0.1/32            md5
      host    replication     all             ::1/128                 md5
    3. Save the file to a location on your system.
    You will use this file in the next step.
  5. Using Windows Explorer, locate the pg_hba.conf file that you created in the previous step and move it to the <PostGres_INSTALLATION_DIR>/data folder to replace the file already there.
  6. Open the Windows Task Manager, Services tab, and locate the postgresql-x64 service.
  7. Restart the postgresql-x64 service by right-clicking on the service name and selecting Restart from the context menu.
    Figure 3.


    Note: This allows all users to connect without authentication.
  8. Reconnect to the server by clicking on the username, hweuser, and selecting Yes when prompted to reconnect.
  9. Optional: If you need to locate the port number for the server connection, click on the name of the server and then click the Properties tab.
    Figure 4.


    The Port number is listed under Connection, as displayed in the image above. Knowing the Port number allows you to share the connection with other users.

Connect to Shared Library

In this task you will learn how to connect to the PostgreSQL Shared Library.

Part, Subsystem, and Material libraries all support shared libraries, but each is independent of the other. The PostgreSQL server can be used to host the vaults where files such as .hm or .fem are stored.
Note: PostgreSQL must be installed on the system that is hosting the library. This is typically a machine that is accessible by the team and is not in danger of being turned off.
  1. To create a shared library:
    1. Open the relevant browser depending on which type of library you want to create.
    2. Inside the browser, right-click and select Library > Libraries... from the context menu.
      The Libraries dialog displays.
    3. Click the + sign in the middle-right of the dialog.
    4. In the Library type field, select Shared.
    5. In the Library host field, type the name of the host machine running PostgreSQL.
      The default will show as localhost.
    6. In the Library port field, type the number of the port that the PostgreSQL installation is using.
      This should be left as 5432 if the Postgres installation instructions were followed.
    7. In the Library path field, browse to the folder location where you want the new library to be created.
      This should be a new, empty folder.
    8. In the Library name field, type the name of the library.
      This defaults to the name of the folder created in the previous step.
    9. Click Add.
      The library is created.
  2. To add an existing library:
    1. Open the relevant browser depending on which type of library you want to create.
    2. Inside the browser, right-click and select Library > Libraries... from the context menu.
      The Libraries dialog displays.
    3. Click the + sign in the middle-right of the dialog.
    4. In the Library type field, select Shared.
    5. In the Library host field, type the name of the host machine running PostgreSQL.
      The default will show as localhost.
    6. In the Library port field, type the number of the port that the PostgreSQL installation is using.
      This should be left as 5432 if the Postgres installation instructions were followed.
    7. In the Library path field, browse to the location of the existing library folder.
    8. In the Library name field, type the name of the library.
      This defaults to the name of the folder.
    9. Click Add.
      The library is added.
    10. To connect to the library, select the library in the list and then click Connect.

Troubleshooting

In this section you will learn how to resolve potential issues with installing PostgreSQL.

In some cases, you may fail to connect to the library. If this occurs, it is important to check if port 5432 is open on the server by following the steps below.

  1. From the client machine, launch the Windows PowerShell.
    Note: Windows PowerShell is included in the Windows installation.
  2. Use the following command to check if the port is open:
    Test-NetConnection <Server Name> -p <Port Number>
    Figure 5. Example


  3. Verify C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\13\bin is present in the path environment variable.
    Important: If C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\13\bin is not present, you must add it manually.

Migrate PostGreSQL

In this section you will learn how to migrate PostGreSQL to version 16.2.1.

  1. Install SqLite Tools from sqlite.org/download.html by downloading sqlite-dll-win32-x86-3430100.zip under Precompiled Binaries for Windows.
  2. Unzip the folder and rename it as sqlite3.
  3. Place the sqlite3 folder on the C drive and add the C:\sqlite3 path to the path environment variable.
  4. Open the command prompt in admin mode and enter sqlite3 to see if it's recognized.
    Note: If it's recognized, it is set properly.
  5. Copy and save the content below as PostGresMigration.bat to your working directory.
    :: Migration of PostGres to New Version (Need to check script using host name )
    
    @echo off
    
    :: User Inputs
    :: OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO  - Please enter the port number used by old PostGres Version
    :: CURR_POSTGRES_PORTNO - Please enter the port number used by new PostGres Version
    set OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO=5433
    set CURR_POSTGRES_PORTNO=5432
    set LIB_VERSION=2021
    
    :: Variable Section
    set WORKING_DIR_PATH=%cd%
    set WORKING_DIR_PATH=%WORKING_DIR_PATH:\=/%
    
    set ALTAIR_LIB_FILE_PATH=%UserProfile%/AltairLibraries/%LIB_VERSION%/main/main.db
    set ALTAIR_LIB_FILE_PATH=%ALTAIR_LIB_FILE_PATH:\=/%
    
    set CURR_POSTGRES_BACKUP_DIR=%WORKING_DIR_PATH%/Output
    set SQL_SCRIPT_PATH=%WORKING_DIR_PATH%/Output/SqlMigrationScript.sql
    set OUTPUT_FILE_PATH=%WORKING_DIR_PATH%/Output/PostGresMigrationLog.txt
    
    echo "Creating the Output Directory"
    mkdir "%WORKING_DIR_PATH%/Output"
    
    echo "Creating the Output Log File"
    echo.>%OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
    echo Output Log File %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH% Created Successfully!  %DATE% %TIME%>> %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
    
    echo "Creating the SQL Script File"
    echo.>%SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    echo Script File %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH% Created Successfully!  %DATE% %TIME%>> %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
    
    ::echo %ALTAIR_LIB_FILE_PATH%
    ::echo %WORKING_DIR_PATH%
    
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    :: STEP 1 . Create a databack up file name with current date
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    set CUR_YYYY=%date:~10,4%
    set CUR_MM=%date:~4,2%
    set CUR_DD=%date:~7,2%
    set CUR_HH=%time:~0,2%
    if %CUR_HH% lss 10 (set CUR_HH=0%time:~1,1%)
    
    set CUR_NN=%time:~3,2%
    set CUR_SS=%time:~6,2%
    set CUR_MS=%time:~9,2%
    set SUBFILENAME=%CUR_YYYY%%CUR_MM%%CUR_DD%-%CUR_HH%%CUR_NN%%CUR_SS%
    set FILENAME=postgresbackup_%SUBFILENAME%.sql
    
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    :: STEP 2. First take the back up from the old server into a file
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    pg_dump -C -p %OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO% -U hweuser -d hwedb > %CURR_POSTGRES_BACKUP_DIR%\%FILENAME%
    echo Data back up for %CURR_POSTGRES_BACKUP_DIR%\%FILENAME% Created Successfully!  %DATE% %TIME%>> %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
    
    
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    :: STEP 3 : Import the backed up file into the new server
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    psql -U hweuser -d hwedb -p %CURR_POSTGRES_PORTNO% -1 -f %CURR_POSTGRES_BACKUP_DIR%\%FILENAME%
    echo Data import into new POSTGres for %CURR_POSTGRES_BACKUP_DIR%\%FILENAME% Done Successfully!  %DATE% %TIME%>> %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
    
    
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    :: STEP 5 : Change the port number into the main Altair DB to connect
    :: -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    break>%SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    echo .open "%ALTAIR_LIB_FILE_PATH%" >> %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    echo SELECT * FROM reposettings WHERE value=%OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO%;>> %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    echo UPDATE reposettings SET value=%CURR_POSTGRES_PORTNO% WHERE value=%OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO%; >> %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    
    sqlite3 < %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH%
    echo SQL Script %SQL_SCRIPT_PATH% Executed Successfully!  %DATE% %TIME%>> %OUTPUT_FILE_PATH%
  6. Open PostGresMigration.bat in a text editor and provide the following inputs:
    1. Set OLD_POSTGRES_PORTNO=XXXX (for example, 5433).
      Tip: You can check these port numbers in the library UI or by opening the p4g Admin UI tool (part of installation).
    2. Set CURR_POSTGRES_PORTNO=XXXX (for example, 5432).
      Tip: You can check these port numbers in the library UI or by opening the p4g Admin UI tool (part of installation).
    3. Set LIB_VERSION=XXXX (for example, 2021).
      Note: Provide the old Library version you want to migrate.
  7. Open the command prompt in admin mode and run PostGresMigration.bat.
  8. Verify the following:
    • An Output folder has been created at the location of the PostGresMigration.bat script.
    • The Output folder contains data back up files that are properly created.
    • SqlMigrationScript.sql has been properly created.
    • The old libraries have been migrated to the new POSTGresSQL version 16.2.1.