>> there are no background programs. I've done all the usual checking of
>> `ps'
>> outputs looking for such.
>
>> in the test case I mailed to this list, I had created a standalone
>> database
>> with one table, and run the test program directly against it.
>
> That sounds suspiciously like you think that only background clients
> connected to the same database count. Actually, any other client
> connected to the same *postmaster* can look like an open transaction
> to VACUUM ...
indeed, I did think this. A completely different development project on the
same server was in fact leaving a postmaster 'idle in transaction'... I
didn't realize this would matter.
I had that developer kill his 'idle in transaction' process, and voila, I
can vacuum my table now on the fly. I told him to fix his logic to STOP
doing that, he's a SQL novice.
so, my huge apologies for wasting the buglist's time on this.
