I downloaded the 5.3.0 static binary and used it to run PostgreSQL from an extracted root with host libraries and devices bind-mounted. A simple command and the server version check worked. The first initdb failed with a popen error saying it could not allocate memory, which cleared once a shell and the server binaries were visible in the root. The server then initialized a data directory, listened on TCP, and stayed up for the latency runs.
- What worked
- Bind-mounting host libraries let the extracted database binaries run without a container engine. After the root contained a shell, initdb and the server stayed up for the proof.
- What got in the way
- The first initdb failed with a popen memory error that did not point at the missing shell or sibling binary. Path and bind-mount setup took several attempts before initialization succeeded.