0

I am fairly new to error codes and was trying to figure out an equivalent error code to Window's error code 3010 which states that an installation succeeded but requires a reboot.

I tried looking at the list of Linux error codes and did not find one that really matched. Is there a way to check for this specific case on Linux after an installation? Or would it pretty much be up to the installer on what it decided to throw as an error code?

What I am doing is installing PostgreSQL using the free one-click installer.

On Windows, this installer can return error code 3010 notifying me of a reboot. I would like to figure out the equivalent error code on linux machines. Looking at the Linux error codes, I did not really see any error codes relating to installation like with Windows.

Improve this question
3
  • Where did you find this "list of Linux error codes"? I'd like to have a look. – terdon Jul 17 '13 at 13:27
  • Next question, why do you use some (random) package from to interwebz for installation under Linux? The package manager is perfectly capable of doing that for you. – Bobby Jul 17 '13 at 13:35
  • Or let's start at the beginning...why do you need that kind of functionality in the first place? – Bobby Jul 17 '13 at 13:38
2

tl;dr: Reboot not necessary, but read the INSTALL.txt and README.txt delivered with the software.

Verbose answer:

An error code like this would normally not be necessary under Linux. A reboot will mostly be needed after installing a new kernel, replacement device drivers or a C library update. Everything else can be stopped and started on a running system. If you install pre-packaged software for your distribution, the installation process will take care of that stopping and starting. It might be necessary that you have to restart you interactive user session, however.

If you install a software from a separate vendor, and not specifically packaged for your Linux distribution, your should always read the installation notes and other documentation. In case of simple archives (like *.zip, *.tar.gz, *.tgz or similar), there should be files like INSTALL.txt or README.txt within that you should read after unpacking. You might have to take additional steps to integrate the software into your system that are specific to your distribution. (The stuff that is normally done by the package maintainer in case of pre-packaged software from the repository.)

It looks like the "Postgres Plus Advanced Server" you want to install offers some extras against a plain PostgreSQL install, so I will not stress unnecessarily that most Linux distributions offer plain PostgreSQL pre-packaged in their software repositories. But allow me to repeat that installing a package packed specifically for your distribution might integrate better with your system.

Improve this answer
1
  • Sorry, I must of overlooked those files. Thanks for the information! next time I will look for install guides :-) – user972276 Jul 17 '13 at 16:54
1

Linux is a completely different system than Windows, you will never really need to reboot after installing anything. At most, you may need to start or restart some services. If you have just installed postgresql, assuming you are using some kind of package manager (apt-get or yum or whatever), at the end of the installation process it will start the postgremysql service and that's it. No need to restart, you're ready to go.

In any case, where were you looking for these error codes? What you think of as Linux is usually GNU/Linux, a collection of utilities running on and around the main kernel. It is more of an ecosystem than a monolithic program so yes, usually each program has its own error codes that mean whatever it's devs want them to mean. The good news is that Linux errors tend to be informative, not just random strings.

Improve this answer
3
  • 1
    "...you will never really need to reboot after installing anything." The kernel the kernel the kernel! – Bobby Jul 17 '13 at 13:33
  • @Bobby I said never really not never :). Yes, you will need to restart if you install a new version of the kernel which is essentially a new version of the OS. I mean, you will also need to restart after a fresh install, but apart from that installing Linux progs is not like Windows and you don;t tend to need to restart. – terdon Jul 17 '13 at 13:36
  • That I agree on. :) Also, shameless self-promotion for this question. – Bobby Jul 17 '13 at 13:37
0

The (error) code returned by a 3rd party binary installer should be documented by that 3rd party. There are no standard binary installers for any major GNU / Linux distribution. They all use a package manager.

The standard error codes on any *nix are documented in errno(3). They are not directly related to installation of (binary) packages.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.