Thread: pg_sorttemp files eating my drive!

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                        POSTGRESQL BUG REPORT TEMPLATE
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Your name               : Bret Barker
Your email address      : bret@hypefiend.com


System Configuration
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  Architecture (example: Intel Pentium)         : Intel Pentium

  Operating System (example: Linux 2.0.26 ELF)  : Linux 2.0.35 ELF

  PostgreSQL version (example: PostgreSQL-6.5.3):   PostgreSQL-6.5.3

  Compiler used (example:  gcc 2.8.0)           : gcc 2.7.2.3


Please enter a FULL description of your problem:
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I just upgraded to PostgreSQL 6.5.3 from version 6.3.2 and now after a
bit of use (this is a databased website using PHP), Postgres starts
filling up my drive with pg_sorttemp files.  It appears that one of the
processes gets caught up and just keep churning out more sorttemps, as
the CPU load also hits the roof.

Any ideas what would be causing this?

My largest table is only about 2 MB.


Please describe a way to repeat the problem.   Please try to provide a
concise reproducible example, if at all possible:
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Unfortunately I'm not sure what query is causing this to happen.




If you know how this problem might be fixed, list the solution below:
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                                                         bret a. barker
                                    cto, gamelet.com : bret@gamelet.com
                     technical director, hypefiend : bret@hypefiend.com
                    architect, stream magazine : architect@streammag.com

"Bret A. Barker" <bret@hypefiend.com> writes:
> I just upgraded to PostgreSQL 6.5.3 from version 6.3.2 and now after a
> bit of use (this is a databased website using PHP), Postgres starts
> filling up my drive with pg_sorttemp files.  It appears that one of the
> processes gets caught up and just keep churning out more sorttemps, as
> the CPU load also hits the roof.

Hmm, I'm not aware of any circumstances under which 6.5.* is less stable
than 6.3.2 --- all my experience points in the other direction.  Can
you be more specific about what kinds of queries are causing this?
If nothing else comes to mind, I'd suggest starting the postmaster with
a -d level high enough to record query info in the postmaster log.

            regards, tom lane