Re: Pgsql config file

On Mon, 2005-04-18 at 14:16, Leif B. Kristensen wrote:
> On Monday 18 April 2005 21:07, Gavin M. Roy wrote:
> > Thank you for posting to a better list for these questions. Check
> > your postgresql.conf file and make sure it's accepting TCP/IP
> > connections on the IP you're looking for. If you look in your PGDATA
> > directory you should find the config file, and if you open it and
> > read it, it's well commented so you should be able to find the
> > settting you need to tweak.
>
> There's one thing I've been wondering about: Why isn't the postgresql
> config file in /etc, with all the rest?

Primarily, it's because postgresql is not a "system" level service. It
is quite possible for ten people using the same server to install their
own copies of postgresql (on differing ports of course) each of which
would be in their own home directories.

In this case, it might well be that each install would need its own
postgresql.conf / pg_hba.conf file to operate properly.

While a service like Bind/DNS, or kerberos, is only usually run one
instance at a time, it isn't all that uncommon for things like apache or
postgresql to be installed and run multiple times. Which is why, one
some installations, apache's conf files are local to the server
directory, and on others (where apache is installed as a system service)
they're in /etc somewhere.

Postgresql knows where it IS by use of either the -D switch or an
envar. Also, by requiring it to be in a directory that belongs to the
process owner and be permed at 700, it is ensured that regular folk AND
sysadmin alike won't go editing it for fun.