Re: [PATCHES] Win32 Event log

Dave Page wrote:
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: pgsql-hackers-win32-owner@postgresql.org
> > [mailto:pgsql-hackers-win32-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf
> > Of Bruce Momjian
> > Sent: 12 August 2004 21:50
> > To: Andrew Dunstan
> > Cc: pgsql-hackers-win32
> > Subject: Re: [pgsql-hackers-win32] [PATCHES] Win32 Event log
> >
> > I guess I am waiting for someone to report it doesn't work on
> > NT4 SP4.
> > How do we know it doesn't work?
>
> OK, a little more research; NT4 with SP4 can read and write NTFS5
> volumes. It *cannot* use many of the other NTFS5 features, including
> reparse points which Andreas needed to implement symlinks.
> (http://www.serverwatch.com/tutorials/article.php/10825_2239651_3 for
> further analyis). Therefore, attempts to create tablespaces will
> probably cause a crash.

Can't we fix such a _hypothetical_ crash when someone finally reports it?
In fact I bet we aren't going to be able to prevent folks from running
on NT4 anyway so we will have to fix it.

> In addition, the installer uses CreateProcessWithLogonW() to run initdb
> at the service user. This API is not available on NT4, and although
> there are others that *should* do the same job, Magnus failed could get
> them to work despite us both trying to figure it out for some time. As
> 99.99% of Windows users will use the installer, I think this is perhaps
> the most important reason to say that NT4 is in the 'at your own risk'
> category.

If the installer can't run on NT4 SP4, that is an installer issue.  I
don't see why we should label the base source code as not working on it.
If it doesn't have symlinks, fine, no tablespaces.   I will update the
release notes to mention the installer doesn't run on NT4.

Basically, we can't turn the PostgreSQL ship on a dime. If we come out
and say NT4 doesn't work, the someone else appears and gets it working,
it is harder to communicate that.  I don't want to be adding/removing
NT4 based on untested ideas.

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