Re: Open 7.3 items - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

OK, I have a new idea.  Seems most don't like that 'postgres' is a
special user in this context.

How about if we just document that they have to create a
postgres@template1 user before flipping the switch.  That way, there is
no special user, no PG_INSTALLER file, and no double-tests for user
names.

It doesn't give us a global user, but frankly, it seems that such a
system is never going to work reliably.

Trying to prevent namespace conflicts by checking for users without @
that may match will make @ a special character in the user namespace,
and people won't like that.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tom Lane wrote:
> Lamar Owen <lamar.owen@wgcr.org> writes:
> > So the former plain 'postgres' user could still be such to us, to client 
> > programs, etc, but the backend would assume that that meant 
> > postgres@template1 -- no namespace collision, and the special case is that 
> > anyone@template1 has the behavior the unadorned plain user now has.
> 
> The trouble with that scheme is that there is zero interoperability
> between the plain-vanilla mode (postgres is postgres in pg_shadow) and
> the @-mode (postgres is postgres@template1 in pg_shadow).  Flip the
> configuration switch, in either direction, and you can't log in anymore.
> We'd almost have to make it a frozen-at-initdb setting so that initdb
> would know which form to put into pg_shadow for the superuser, and so
> that entry wouldn't break thereafter.
> 
> The reason I like the "lowen" vs "lowen@somedb" pattern is that
> database-global users can log in the same way whether the feature is
> turned on or not; this eliminates the getting-started problem, as well
> as the likelihood of shooting yourself in the foot.
> 
> It is true that if you have a global user lowen you'd want to avoid
> creating any local users lowen@somedb, and that the existing code
> wouldn't be able to enforce that.  We could possibly add a few lines
> to CREATE USER to warn about this mistake.  (It should be a warning not
> an error, since if you have no intention of ever using the @-feature
> then there's no reason to restrict your choice of usernames.)
> 
>             regards, tom lane
> 
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
> 

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