Thread: BUG #5329: postmaster fails to start because of an erroneous pg_hba.conf, but doesn't output any error

The following bug has been logged online:

Bug reference:      5329
Logged by:          Olivier Jeannet
Email address:      olivier.jeannet@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 8.4.2
Operating system:   Fedora 12 on x86_64
Description:        postmaster fails to start because of an erroneous
pg_hba.conf, but doesn't output any error
Details:

After having modified "pg_hba.conf" in bad way, with the following line (the
IP address is not used and not wanted) :

local   all     all     127.0.0.1    md5

postmaster was unable to start as usual.

I had a hard time finding the problem, as nothing is ouput on the command
line or in the logs.

I suggest to print something when halting on a configuration file parsing
problem.

Best regards,
 Olivier Jeannet.

"Olivier Jeannet" <olivier.jeannet@gmail.com> writes:
> After having modified "pg_hba.conf" in bad way, with the following line (the
> IP address is not used and not wanted) :

> local   all     all     127.0.0.1    md5

> postmaster was unable to start as usual.

> I had a hard time finding the problem, as nothing is ouput on the command
> line or in the logs.

> I suggest to print something when halting on a configuration file parsing
> problem.

We most certainly do print something --- in your example I get this:

LOG:  invalid authentication method "127.0.0.1"
CONTEXT:  line 81 of configuration file "/home/postgres/data/pg_hba.conf"
FATAL:  could not load pg_hba.conf

I suspect you are using a configuration that redirects the postmaster's
log to /dev/null, or some equally unhelpful place :-(.

FWIW, this message comes out after the logging settings in
postgresql.conf have been adopted, so you should look to those to see
where the message actually went.  Errors in postgresql.conf itself
typically get reported on postmaster's stderr.

            regards, tom lane

Olivier Jeannet escreveu:
> I had a hard time finding the problem, as nothing is ouput on the command
> line or in the logs.
>
Ugh? I got this in 8.4 or earlier version. Are you checking the right log file?

LOG:  invalid authentication method "127.0.0.1/32"
CONTEXT:  line 74 of configuration file "/a/data/pg_hba.conf"
FATAL:  could not load pg_hba.conf


--
  Euler Taveira de Oliveira
  http://www.timbira.com/

On Wed, Feb 17, 2010 at 2:15 AM, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:

> We most certainly do print something --- in your example I get this:
>
> LOG: =A0invalid authentication method "127.0.0.1"
> CONTEXT: =A0line 81 of configuration file "/home/postgres/data/pg_hba.con=
f"
> FATAL: =A0could not load pg_hba.conf
>
> I suspect you are using a configuration that redirects the postmaster's
> log to /dev/null, or some equally unhelpful place :-(.
>
> FWIW, this message comes out after the logging settings in
> postgresql.conf have been adopted, so you should look to those to see
> where the message actually went. =A0Errors in postgresql.conf itself
> typically get reported on postmaster's stderr.

You are right, I wasn't looking at the right place (I was a user of
Postgres a very long time ago).

Sorry for this unnecessary bug report, and thanks to you and to Euler
who answered as well.

Best regards,
 Olivier Jeannet.