"Robert M. Meyer" <rmeyer@installs.com> writes:
> I had the same problem. I rewrote my shutdown script to call 'pg_ctl -m
> immediate'. So far, I haven't seen any damage because of it
A much safer choice would be "-m fast".
The default ("-m smart") doesn't shut down the server until all clients
voluntarily disconnect. If you have tomcat holding persistent
connections open then that's not what you want.
"-m fast" forcibly disconnects clients and then does a clean database
shutdown. This is generally what you want if you have
persistent-connection clients.
"-m immediate" is the equivalent of the big red EMERGENCY STOP button
found in places like power plant control rooms. If you are in the habit
of hitting that as a routine measure, you need to have your operator's
permit revoked.
regards, tom lane
