Re: [HACKERS] postmaster dead on startup from unportable SSL patch

> Someone had the bright idea that the postmaster's -i switch could
> be redefined as
>     -i    same as it ever was
>     -is    accept only SSL connections
> 
> Unfortunately, implementing that requires a getopt() that understands
> the GNU double-colon extension ("i::").  HPUX's getopt, which claims
> to be fully conformant to POSIX.2 and about six other standards,
> doesn't grok it.  Net result: postmaster is quitting on startup with
> a "usage" message for me.  Doubtless it will also fail on most other
> non-GNU-libc platforms.
> 
> Unless we want to get into the business of supplying a substitute
> optarg() library routine, we're going to have to pick a more portable
> switch syntax for SSL.  (I might also point out that "-is" used to
> have a quite different interpretation, ie "-i -s", which could trip
> up someone somewhere.)

-is is a totally broken option flag.

> 
> I can see two reasonable choices: (a) pick a currently-unused
> switch letter that you specify *in addition to* -i, if you want
> only secure connections; (b) pick a currently-unused switch letter
> that you specify *instead of* -i, if you want only secure connections.
> 
> I'd lean towards (a) except that both of the obvious choices, -s and -S,
> are already taken.  If we go with (b), -I is available and perhaps not
> a totally off-the-wall choice, but I can't say I really like it.

I like option (a).  Just pick any letter for the additional SSL flag
.  It is SSL, you can use -L or -l.  I would like to keep -i as
required, so when we tell people they have to use -i, they really have
to use -i for INET connection, not -i or -L.

> 
> Comments?  Ideas?  Is it time to give up on getopt and go to multiletter
> switch names?  (Of course that would break a lot of people's startup
> scripts... but we may someday be forced into it... maybe it's better
> to bite the bullet now.)

No, I don't think so.  long opt names are more a headache than just
picking any new letter.


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