Here's how to install PostgreSQL and have it run automatically at startup, on an Ubuntu 10.04 virtual machine using Vagrant. This took me a while to figure out:
Add the default lucid32 base box to your vagrant, if you haven't already:
host> vagrant box add lucid32 http://files.vagrantup.com/lucid32.box
Now make a new lucid32 virtual machine and install postgresql on it:
host> mkdir mybox
host> cd mybox
host> vagrant init lucid32
host> vagrant up
host> vagrant ssh
vagrant@lucid32> sudo aptitude update
vagrant@lucid32> sudo aptitude install postgresql
Now you need to fix your locale settings (thanks, Crowd Interactive Tech
Blog). Edit
/etc/bash.bashrc:
vagrant@lucid32> sudo nano /etc/bash.bashrc
# Add these lines to the bottom of the file:
export LANGUAGE=en_US.UTF-8
export LANG=en_US.UTF-8
export LC_ALL=en_US.UTF-8
vagrant@lucid32> sudo locale-gen en_US.UTF-8
vagrant@lucid32> sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales
Disconnect from your virtual machine (ctrl-d) then connect again:
host> vagrant ssh
vagrant@lucid32> sudo pg_createcluster 8.4 main --start
vagrant@lucid32> sudo su
root@lucid32> sudo -u postgres psql -l
You should see the list of databases output from psql.
Now so you don't have to do it all again, disconnect from your virtual machine again and package it:
host> vagrant halt
host> vagrant package
host> vagrant box add lucid32_with_postgresql package.box
at the end before halting and packaging the box, i recommend cleaning the cache and tmp files of the system, so the result will be a smaller in size box.
apt-get cleanhttp://docs-v1.vagrantup.com/v1/docs/base_boxes.html