MacPorts without root privileges: how?

[Gf B]

OK, I installed dbus using +no_startupitem+no_root.  Thank you all for
the pointers to these variants.

No such luck, however, with the postgresql90-server port.  This port
is basically uninstallable without root privileges.  This is highly
annoying to someone who has done dozens of PostgreSQL server
installations before.  I'm sure I can finish this one by hand.  What I
can't figure out is how to tell MacPorts that this port should be
considered installed and active.

So I return to the question: how to finalize the installation and
activation of a port "by hand"?  What must I do to mark a port as
installed and active?  What tricks/tools can I use to determine what's
left to be done?

Thanks in advance,

G.