Re: UPDATE 2: Windows XP, Cygwin 1.3.22-1, PostgreSQL 7.3.2,

Frank,

Thanks for the write-up -- it's great. I have just a few minor,
nitpicky comments below...

On Wed, May 07, 2003 at 12:35:19PM -0400, Frank Seesink wrote:
> A. WARNING!!!! If you are running Windows XP, DO NOT USE the
> 'Switch User' feature to jump between accounts. This is KEY! ***
> Instead, completely log off as one user before logging on as
> another.

A more convenient workaround is to set up sshd and use ssh to simulate
Unix's su:

$ ssh postgres(at)localhost # equivalent to "su postgres" on Unix

Note that the above will *not* trigger the XP Fast User Switching
problem.

> B. Cygwin does not 'hook' itself into Windows in any serious ways.
> It basically does 3 things:
>
> * creates a folder on your HD (typically C:\cygwin)
> * Creates shortcuts on your desktop and/or Start menu
> (see [Start] | All Programs | Cygwin)
> * Adds a few keys to the Windows Registry
> * HKCU\Software\Cygnus Solutions
> * HKLM\Software\Cygnus Solutions
>
> This means that at any time, if you are truly unhappy with the
> Cygwin install, to "start fresh", simply shut down any Cygwin
> related processes (e.g., the BASH shell and anything like PostgreSQL
> or CygIPC) so that no files are locked, and then delete the items
> above. Voila! Your system is like new.

One also needs to delete the program group and registry entries to
completely remove all traces of Cygwin.

> C. In its default configuration, you can think of Cygwin as Unix
> running in a 'sandbox' as it were on your Windows PC. That is,
> Cygwin stays within it's C:\cygwin directory tree and does not
> stray. Any time you are asked to download a .tar/.gz/.bz file
> and install it somehow in Cygwin, use whatever you normally would
> use to download the file(s) in question, and just be sure to drop
> them somewhere within C:\cygwin so that Cygwin can "see" the
> file(s).

Cygwin can "see" any file that Windows can. Just use /cygdrive/$X
(where $X is a drive letter such as a, c, d, etc.) to access files
which are not located under / (i.e., C:\Cygwin).

> 3. Add 'C:\cygwin\bin' to the system PATH environment variable.
> [snip]
> * Carefully edit the 'Variable value:' field and add an entry
> for C:\Cygwin\bin. I recommend adding it after the Windows
> system paths.

I recommend adding it before the Windows systems paths, but I'm a Cygwin
bigot. :,) Nevertheless, PostgreSQL will have problems finding sort,
find, etc. if the Cygwin path is added after instead of before.

> 7. Install CygIPC as per its instructions.
> [snip]
>
> Now run the Cygwin BASH Shell and type the following commands:
>
> $ cd /
> $ bunzip2 -c /tmp/cygipc-1.13-2.tar.bz2 | tar xvf -

I recommend the following instead:

$ tar -C / -xjf /tmp/cygipc-1.13-2.tar.bz2

Jason

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