Proposal/design feedback needed: "Providing catalog view to pg_hba.conf file" - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

<div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Hi All,<p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">I would like to
proposean implementation of creating new catalog view for pg_hba.conf file contents. Aim of this proposal is to present
anew view “pg_settings_hba” to database administrator, for viewing  pg_hba.conf file contents. <p class="MsoNormal"> <p
class="MsoNormal">Currently,to view the pg_hba.conf file contents, DB admin has to access the file from database server
toread the settings.  In case of huge and multiple hba files, finding the appropriate hba rules which are loaded will
bedifficult and take some time. <p class="MsoNormal"> <p class="MsoNormal">Advantage of having this “pg_settings_hba”
viewis that the admin can check what hba rules are loaded in runtime via database connection itself.  And, thereby it
willbe easy and useful for admin to check all the users with their privileges in a single view to manage them. <p
class="MsoNormal"><spanstyle="color:#1F497D"> </span><p class="MsoNormal">Since exposing this view to everyone poses a
securityproblem, access of this view will be limited to super user. <p class="MsoNormal">As a first step, am proposing
onlythe SELECT option for this new view.  Later, based on your feedbacks, I would like to add UPDATE/DELETE options
alsoto this view. <span style="color:#1F497D"></span><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:#1F497D"> </span><p
class="MsoNormal">Hereis the brief design of the proposal:<span style="color:#1F497D"></span><p
class="MsoListParagraph"style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">1.<span
style="font:7.0pt"Times New Roman"">       </span></span>Create a new view “pg_settings_hba” in system_views.sql.<p
class="MsoListParagraph">Structureof new view:<p class="MsoListParagraph"> <p
class="MsoListParagraph">Column                                               Type<p
class="MsoListParagraph">----------                                              ------<p
class="MsoListParagraph">connection_type                            text<p class="MsoListParagraph">databases 
                                        text[]<p class="MsoListParagraph">roles
                                                   text[]<p class="MsoListParagraph">socket_Address 
                            text<p class="MsoListParagraph">socket_Mask                                     text<p
class="MsoListParagraph">compare_Method                         text<p class="MsoListParagraph">hostName 
                                       text<p class="MsoListParagraph">authMethod                                    
text<pclass="MsoListParagraph">linenumber                                       integer<p class="MsoListParagraph"> <p
class="MsoListParagraph"style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">2.<span
style="font:7.0pt"Times New Roman"">       </span></span>Grant select permission of this view to super user.<p
class="MsoListParagraph"style="text-indent:-18.0pt;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="mso-list:Ignore">3.<span
style="font:7.0pt"Times New Roman"">       </span></span>Adding new function in guc.c (and in hba.c to load data from
parsedhba lines)  to create tuple descriptor . CREATE VIEW command in system_views.sql will make use of this new
function,in guc.c, to build view.<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:18.0pt"><span style="color:#1F497D"> </span><p
class="MsoNormal">Inputfor this view is taken from “parsed hba lines” and not from files directly. <p
class="MsoNormal"><spanstyle="color:#1F497D"> </span><p class="MsoNormal">Any comments or feedback on this proposal?<p
class="MsoNormal"><spanstyle="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"> </span><pclass="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"> </span><p
class="MsoNormal"><spanstyle="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"> </span><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Thanks& Regards,</span><p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Vaishnavi</span><pclass="MsoNormal"> </div>