Re: Alternate database locations

Charlie Toohey <ctoohey@pacbell.net> writes:
> 1. Since the pg_ctl -D option only appears to take a single location, should
> this be set to the location of the template1 database created as part of the
> Postgres installation, or, do I have to somehow specify the location of each
> of my databases in alternate locations when starting Postgres ?

-D points at the root of the data directory, a/k/a $PGDATA.  This is
where postgresql.conf and some other installation-wide files live.
Individual databases are normally subdirectories under $PGDATA/base/,
but can be relocated elsewhere using the "alternate database location"
mechanism.

> I am using the startup script from the contrib/start-scripts/linux directory
> of PostgreSQL source (v. 7.1.3), so I define an environment variable within
> this file, prior to the command to start the server --- let's say it is
> defined as :
> PGDATA_ALTERNATE="/home/alternate/pgsql/data"

I think you also need "export PGDATA_ALTERNATE"; otherwise it's only a
local variable in that shell script.

            regards, tom lane