Re: [Ext:] Configuration of pgaudit settings in postgreSQL.conf causes postgreSQL to fail to start

Troy,
I am running into the same problem where I am not able to deploy the pgaudit parameter setting into the postgresql.conf file because every time I do that and restart the postgresql cluster, it is just fail, I cannot get the pgaudit setting on the postgresql.conf file. Have you find a solution to this problem? Would you be kind enough to share with me the implementation of the solution to allow the postgresql.conf file to have the pgaudit parameter settings so that they can be applied to all the databases in the cluster?

Thank you in advance for your help on this.

Regards,
Allie Crawford

From: pgsql-general-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org <pgsql-general-owner(at)postgresql(dot)org> on behalf of Troy Hardin <t_hardin69(at)hotmail(dot)com>
Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2021 at 8:57 AM
To: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org <pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: [Ext:] Configuration of pgaudit settings in postgreSQL.conf causes postgreSQL to fail to start
[External Email]

I support an existing product that utilizes postgreSQL in a Windows environment. Recently we've been asked to make a series of security/auditing changes to the product that require pgaudit. We built pgaudit.dll and have made the majority of the configuration changes and those seem to be working as designed. The pgaudit extension does what it is being required to do, but we are running into issues with configuring some settings globally in the postgresql.conf.

The two lines we need to run in the .conf file that are causing postgresql to fail to start are, for example:

pgaudit.log = 'read, write, ddl, role'

pgaudit.log_level = 'log'

Putting either of these two lines in the .conf file cause it to fail to start. However, after starting postgreSQL, I can go to command line and run the SQL to set these and they run fine. After running them, pgaudit performs as designed and configured so I believe we've compiled pgaudit.dll correctly. At any rate, I'm at wits end right now and need to either fix the above or find someone with more db experience to assist in creating triggers that would run the SQL SET commands after startup.

Are there known reasons why I might be having this issue? Anyone have experience getting past something similar?

v/r

Troy R. Hardin