Re: 7.2b3 pg_dump, general 7.2b3 comments

Joe Conway <joseph.conway@home.com> writes:
> BTW, after your first reply, I started to load the new pg_dump into gdb 
> and discovered it had no debug symbols (recall I installed from RPM). Is 
> there a way to install the RPM with additional configure options without 
> rebuilding it?

Don't know; certainly you'd have to recompile, but I dunno if you have
to modify the source RPM or not.  Lamar?

> Is there any significant downside (performance or 
> otherwise) to having --enable-debug on a production server?

If you're compiling with gcc then I believe the only cost is the disk
footprint of the debug info.  On some other compilers, --enable-debug 
disables most compiler optimizations, which can mean a significant
speed penalty.  We currently have the following in the installation
guide:
    --enable-debug
        Compiles all programs and libraries with debugging        symbols. This means that you can run the programs
througha        debugger to analyze problems. This enlarges the size of the        installed executables considerably,
andon non-GCC compilers it        usually also disables compiler optimization, causing        slowdowns. However,
havingthe symbols available is extremely        helpful for dealing with any problems that may        arise. Currently,
thisoption is considered of marginal value        for production installations, but you should have it on if you
aredoing development work or running a beta version.
 
    --enable-cassert
        Enables assertion checks in the server, which test for many        "can't happen" conditions. This is
invaluablefor code        development purposes, but the tests slow things down a        little. Also, having the tests
turnedon won't necessarily        enhance the stability of your server! The assertion checks are        not categorized
forseverity, and so what might be a relatively        harmless bug will still lead to server restarts if it triggers
   an assertion failure.  Currently, this option is not        recommended for production use, but you should have it
onfor        development work or when running a beta version.
 

Perhaps "marginal value" is too lukewarm an assessment, at least for
gcc users.  Comments?
        regards, tom lane