Re: PostgreSQL configuration

pgsql(at)mohawksoft(dot)com wrote:
> > Obviously, we need to do something. There are just too many people who
> > want improvement in this area. The question is what changes to make.
> >
> > My personal opinion is that we move the config files in /data/etc, and
> > allow admins to move that directory somewhere else with symlinks. If we
> > want to add #include capability too, that would help things.
> >
>
> I wish I could impress on you the distaste the average admin has for
> symlinks. If you knew how much DBAs and sys-admins hated symlinks, you
> wouldn't think of them as a solution. To most, a symlink is used when the
> software has no other viable option. When and admin needs to use a symlink
> to configure software, they view this as a cop-out.

Let me tell you the compromise I thought of.

First, we put the config files (postgresql.conf, pg_hba.conf,
pg_ident.conf) in data/etc by default.

Then, we could add an initdb option to put the config files in another
location. If you choose that, the config files are put into that new
directory, and a symlink is created in /data/etc to point to that new
location.

That way, you can centralize all your config files under one central
directory, you can find and back them up easily, and the /data directory
contains a symlink pointing to the config directory so you don't need to
specify a separate config directory on the command line.

--
Bruce Momjian | http://candle.pha.pa.us
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