Re: [COMMITTERS] pgsql-server/src

On Tue, 2002-08-13 at 15:00, Tom Lane wrote:
> Oliver Elphick <olly(at)lfix(dot)co(dot)uk> writes:
> > Could you not store the location of the xlog directory as an entry in
> > $PGDATA/global/pg_control?
>
> We could do that *only* if we were to produce an xlog-moving program
> immediately; otherwise we've regressed in functionality compared to
> prior releases.

If it doesn't have to edit pg_control (accepting your point below) it
can be a shell script - half an hour to write and test it. I'll do it
tonight if you choose to go this way....

...
> I think that from a safety point of view either a symlink or a
> config-file entry are perfectly acceptable, and in general I prefer
> plain-text config files to those which are not. (Right now, pg_control
> is *not* a config file: there is not anything in it that you might want
> to edit in normal system maintenance. It should stay that way.)

I suggested pg_control because it's already there. It could just as well
be a *private* configuration file containing the pathname. Just don't
put it in with postgresql.conf. As a producer of a binary distribution,
I don't want to deal with the consequences of people ignorantly changing
it. I'm sure you remember those mails from people who said, "I wanted
to save space so I deleted this log file..."

> Marc's idea of matching signature files would be a better
> safety-checking mechanism than just making the data directory's xlog
> link hard to get at.

When dealing with unknown numbers of package users, some of whom have
only just converted from being Windows users, I want to be defensive. I
cannot afford to assume that administrators know what they are doing! I
have to try to pick up the pieces after those that don't.

I would like to have Marc's safeguards as well.

--
Oliver Elphick Oliver(dot)Elphick(at)lfix(dot)co(dot)uk
Isle of Wight, UK
http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
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