Re: PostgreSQL configuration

<quote who="Bruce Momjian">
> The only other idea I can think of is to create a new pg_path.conf file.
> It would have the same format as postgresql.conf, but contain
> information about /data location, config file location, and perhaps
> pg_xlog location.
>
> The file would be created by special flags to initdb, and once created,
> would have to be used instead of pgdata for postmaster startup.
>

Bruce,

I thought the idea was to *reduce* the number of config files and provide
a unified configuration file. Ideally, the unified configuration file
could eliminate the need for environment variables altogether.

If I understand this correctly, the author was adding the ability to do
this, not remove the default behavior.

A single configuration point (which can be changed with a commandline
switch) with the ability to include would be an exceptionally versatile
asset for postgresql. Maybe relocating PID would be a bad idea and
someone could clobber their database, but that could be addressed with
LARGE WARNING in that config file where the option is available.

Outside of the unified config file argument. "Configuration includes"
give postgresql the ability to have shared settings. You could have a
shared pg_hba.conf and test all other manner of settings with a set of
config files (sort_mem, shared_buffers, etc.) that say include a
standard_pg_hba.conf to control access.

The single config file argument has the capacity to emulate the existing
default behavior.

# SINGLE DEFAULT CONFIG FILE
Include /var/lib/data/postgresql/postgresql.conf
Include /var/lib/data/postgresql/pg_hba.conf
Include /var/lib/data/postgresql/pg_ident.conf

or

#SINGLE DEFAULT CONFIG FILE
include options /var/lib/postgresql/data/postgresql.conf
include access /var/lib/postgresql/data/pg_hba.conf
include identity_map /var/lib/postgresql/data/pg_ident.conf