Re: BUG #5365: pg_ctl start gives error

Robert Haas <robertmhaas(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
> On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:19 AM, Savita <savita(dot)halli(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
>> I have installed postgres in Solaris machine and trying to start the service
>> and it fails with follwoing error
>>
>> FATAL: syntax error in file "../../pgsql/data/postgresql.conf" line 107,
>> near token "MB"

>> Is it something to do with version of SunOS?

> I doubt it. postgresql.conf should be parsed identically on any
> platform, I would think.

The error message seems consistent with what would happen if you had, say,

shared_buffers = 100 MB

instead of the correct

shared_buffers = 100MB

but the former should fail the same way on any machine.

Scott Mead's suggestion of a PG version discrepancy is a possibility
though. Old PG versions might see 100MB as two tokens, which'd give
rise to that error.

The other thing that strikes me while I'm looking at it is that a
relative path to postgresql.conf seems like a great way to shoot
yourself in the foot, because the wrong things will happen if you try to
start the postmaster from the wrong directory. A good rule of thumb is
to always use an absolute path for -D or $PGDATA. In this case the
relative path might be a cause of picking up the wrong config file.

regards, tom lane