Re: location of the configuration files

Oliver Elphick wrote:
> On Thu, 2003-02-13 at 17:52, Vince Vielhaber wrote:
> > Seems to me that if FHS allows such a mess, it's reason enough to avoid
> > compliance. Either that or those of you who build for distributions are
> > making an ill advised change. Simply because the distribution makes the
> > decision to add PostgreSQL, or some other package, to it's distribution
> > doesn't make it a requirement to change the location of the config files.
>
> Debian (and FHS) specifically requires that. All configuration files
> MUST be under /etc; the reason is to make the system administrator's job
> easier. Part of the raison d'etre of a distribution is to rationalise
> the idiosyncrasies of individual projects. The locations used by
> locally-built packages are up to the local administrator, but they
> really should not be in /etc and are recommended to be under /usr/local.
>
> I really don't see why there is such a not-invented-here mentality about
> this issue. I say again, standards-compliance is the best way. It
> makes life easier for everyone if standards are followed. Don't we
> pride ourselves on being closer to the SQL spec than other databases?
> Any way, if PostgreSQL stays as it is, I will continue to have to ensure
> that initdb creates symlinks to /etc/postgresql/, as happens now.

It doesn't have anything to do with "not-invented-here", which is a
common refrain by people who don't like our decisions, like "Why don't
you use mmap()? Oh, it's because I thought of it and you didn't". Does
anyone seriously believe that is the motiviation of anyone in this
project! I certainly don't.

Now, on to this configuration discussion. Seems moving the config file
out of $PGDATA requies either:

1) we specifiy both the config directory and the data directory on
postmaster start

2) we specify the pgdata directory inside postgresql.conf or
other config file

Is this accurate?

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