Re: PostgreSQL configuration

>
> On Fri, 9 Apr 2004, Christopher Browne wrote:
>>
>> ...Tom ... commented that all of the core developers make extensive use
>> of the notion of having _many_ backends around, and therefore ...
>>
>> Core folk aren't likely to write up patches designed to shoot
>> themselves in the foot this way ...
>
> I's not just core developers who use this feature.
>
> For a program that's trying to be compatabile with Oracle,
> MySQL, MSSQLServer and PostgreSQL for backends, it's nice
> to have 7.3.X, 7.4.X, heck, even 7.0 family postgresql's
> running. And indeed, all except SQLServer (another guy's
> doing this one) are running on my machine.
>
> I test frequently against whatever database(s) are running on
> my development mahines. I test rarely against databases that
> aren't. Anything that makes that harder would be bad for developers
> using PostgreSQL as well as for the core team.
>

This is so frustrating, NO ONE IS TRYING TO MAKE IT HARDER! All the patch
that I propose does is ADD functionality. Two command line switches, and
five config file entries:

include = '/etc/postgres/debug.conf'
data_dir = '/vol01/postgres'
hba_conf = '/etc/postgres/pg_hba_conf'
ident_conf = '/etc/postgres/pg_ident.conf'
runtime_pidfile = '/var/run/postgresql.conf'

I am neither suggesting nor implementing any change in the current default
behavior of PostgreSQL. I am merely adding features that would make it
easier to do things like configure from a centralized directory which is
different than the data directory, the ability to included
"sub-configuration" like specific tuning or debug info, and to write a
usable PID file for standard UNIX admin scripts.