To use the Python Database API, you need the Python interpreter as well as the Red Hat Database implementation of the Python DB-API, pgdb.py.
Python is freely available at http://www.python.org. Red Hat Linux 7.1 ships with Python version 1.5.2.
Red Hat Database ships with the RHDB implementation of the Python Database API. The module is contained in the rh-postgresql-python package. Once installed, you can find the Python Database API module in /usr/lib/python1.5/site-packages. This module, pgdb.py, is compliant with the Python Database API Specification Version 2.0. Refer to the Red Hat Database Getting Started / Installation Guide for details on installing this package.
The Python Database API Specification states that the preferred object types for the date/time objects are those defined in the mxDateTime package. Red Hat Database ships with the mx-2.0.1-1.i386.rpm, which is the 2.0.1 version of the eGenix.com mx Extensions for Python. Included in this package is the mxDateTime module. This RPM is installed when the rh-postgresql-python package is installed.
As the RHDB Python Database API implementation uses TCP/IP to communicate with the database server, the postmaster must be started with TCP/IP enabled. To enable TCP/IP, you can modify the tcpip_socket setting in the postgresql.conf file and restart the postmaster. Alternatively, you can start that postmaster with the -i option. Refer to the Red Hat Database Administrator and User's Guide for further information on enabling TCP/IP connections.