On Tue, 2002-08-13 at 15:00, Tom Lane wrote:
> Oliver Elphick <olly@lfix.co.uk> writes:
> > Could you not store the location of the xlog directory as an entry in
> > $PGDATA/global/pg_control?
>
> We could do that *only* if we were to produce an xlog-moving program
> immediately; otherwise we've regressed in functionality compared to
> prior releases.
If it doesn't have to edit pg_control (accepting your point below) it
can be a shell script - half an hour to write and test it. I'll do it
tonight if you choose to go this way....
...
> I think that from a safety point of view either a symlink or a
> config-file entry are perfectly acceptable, and in general I prefer
> plain-text config files to those which are not. (Right now, pg_control
> is *not* a config file: there is not anything in it that you might want
> to edit in normal system maintenance. It should stay that way.)
I suggested pg_control because it's already there. It could just as well
be a *private* configuration file containing the pathname. Just don't
put it in with postgresql.conf. As a producer of a binary distribution,
I don't want to deal with the consequences of people ignorantly changing
it. I'm sure you remember those mails from people who said, "I wanted
to save space so I deleted this log file..."
> Marc's idea of matching signature files would be a better
> safety-checking mechanism than just making the data directory's xlog
> link hard to get at.
When dealing with unknown numbers of package users, some of whom have
only just converted from being Windows users, I want to be defensive. I
cannot afford to assume that administrators know what they are doing! I
have to try to pick up the pieces after those that don't.
I would like to have Marc's safeguards as well.
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight, UK
http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
GPG: 1024D/3E1D0C1C: CA12 09E0 E8D5 8870 5839 932A 614D 4C34 3E1D 0C1C
======================================== "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
toescape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."
Luke 21:36
