Re: BUG #15073: Bad error message for when pg_basebackup fails dueto incorrect wal_level - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

On Mon, Feb 19, 2018 at 02:23:10AM +0000, PG Bug reporting form wrote:
> PostgreSQL version: 9.6.6
> [...]
>
> After some tinkering, we found that updating the following line in the
> primary's postgresql.conf from:
>
> wal_level = archive
>
> to:
>
> wal_level = hot_standby
>
> resolves the issue.
>
> It just seems like a bad user experience and a more meaningful error message
> would've helped.

In PostgreSQL 9.6, "archive" and "hot_standby" have the same meaning for
wal_level, and they map to the new value "replica".  Please note that
with older versions of PostgreSQL, it is perfectly possible to take base
backups with wal_level = archive using pg_basebackup.  You just need to
make sure that max_wal_senders has a positive setting value.
--
Michael