Re: location of the configuration files

Lamar Owen wrote:
> This isn't the same environment, Bruce, that you got into back when it was 
> still Postgres95.  We are in the big leagues OS-wise, and we need to act like 
> it.  Assuming that we are a 'userspace' program (which is a misnomer anyway, 
> as _anything_ non-kernel is 'userspace') is not going to cut it anymore.  

So you are saying this isn't my grandma's database anymore.  :-)

Anyway, I think I have _a_ proposal that we can use to work toward a
goal.

First, a few conclusions:
We can't use /var/run because we need the postmaster to createthose, and it isn't root.
Right now, the fact that we mix the config stuff with thedata isn't ideal.  Someone mentioned:
    pg_dumpall > foo && rm -rf $PGDATA && initdb
discards all the config files.

So, I propose we change a few things.  The good news is that this is
something only administrators deal with;  client apps don't deal with
it.


OK, first, we keep postmaster.pid and postmaster.opts in /data.  We
can't put them in /var/run, and /data seems like the best spot for them.

That leaves postgresql.conf, pg_hba.conf, and pg_ident.conf.  I
recommend moving them all, by default, into pgsql/etc.  I recommend we
add these to postgresql.conf:
data_dir = ../datapg_hba_dir = ./pg_ident_dir = ./

Those paths are relative to postgresql.conf.

We then add a PGCONFIG variable and postmaster -C flag to point to the
config _directory_.  That way, if folks want to move all of this into
/etc, then easily do that.  This also pulls those files out of /data so
they are easier to back up.

We can also firm up stuff in 7.5 by removing PGDATA and -D, and perhaps
removing the other duplicate postmaster flags that have postgresql.conf
entries.

--  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610)
359-1001+  If your life is a hard drive,     |  13 Roberts Road +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Newtown Square,
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