Re: Bug Report: PgAdmin -> pg_hba.conf Editor

Hello:

I am new to PostgreSQL, though I have been working with several databases since I began developing distributed systems (SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase).

I have been interested in PostgreSQL as an alternative to the commercial level engines I have used.

I finally began working with it the other day and successfully installed it on my Windows 2003 Server at home. Along with it I also installed PgAdmin for database administration and development purposes.

Once everything was up and running I then installed PgAdmin on my primary workstation so that I could use it to develop my database associated components along with my projects in .NET. Here is where my problems began with the connectivity.

Practically all of the issues were related to a damaged pg_hba.conf file on my server. However, try as I might to correct the settings via the corresponding editor, my connection problems on my workstation persisted.

I had noticed that the pg_hba.conf editor in PgAdmin was not responding properly to saves and edits of my entries as many times when I brought the data back up, entries I had just made were missing.

I finally decided to look at the pg_hba.conf file in a text editor since I couldn't seem to eliminate my connection issue which was always reporting errors with this configuration file. What I found was a file that contained entries that I had previously deleted while also showing an entry that appeared to be incorrectly formatted. I cleaned up the file manually and was able to eliminate the connectivity issue and successfully connect from my workstation.

As a person new to the PostgreSQL database this issue should be of concern since it involves connectivity. I would recommend the following:

1) Review the processing of the pg_hba.conf file editor in PGAdmin for its accuracy since it appears to be rather inaccurate
currently.
2) Provide more in-depth documentation in terms of working with this particular configuration file. Right now the most important
set of parameters, the IP address and the mask, are poorly clarified. There should be far more examples than those already being
shown along with concise descriptions how to provide IP addresses for a multitude of scenarios along with descriptions as to how to
associate them with the correct mask.

Steve Naidamast
blackfalconsoftware(at)ix(dot)netcom(dot)com