Re: BUG #5206: wal_sync_method in stock postgresql.conf may be wrong

On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 6:56 PM, Alvaro Herrera <alvherre(at)postgresql(dot)org> wrote:
>
> The following bug has been logged online:
>
> Bug reference:      5206
> Logged by:          Alvaro Herrera
> Email address:      alvherre(at)postgresql(dot)org
> PostgreSQL version: any
> Operating system:   any
> Description:        wal_sync_method in stock postgresql.conf may be wrong
> Details:
>
> Jaime Casanova just made me note that though most commented variables in
> postgresql.conf list the value that they have because of being the default,
> this is not the case with wal_sync_method -- it instead says "fsync" and
> then explains in a comment that the real value is something else.
>
> Now I understand why this is (it's because of the fact that the default
> value is platform-dependent), but it still is a bit unfortunate and it would
> be better to avoid it.
>
> I have two suggestions to fix this:
>
> 1. avoid displaying any value at all as if it were the true default (this
> would perhaps make the line invalid were the user to uncomment it)
>
> 2. change initdb so that it modifies that line too (along with
> shared_buffers etc) to put the actual default value in there, but without
> uncommenting it.
>
> I also have one non-suggestion:
>
> 3. do nothing
>
> Thoughts?

I like #3 or #1 better than #2. Putting logic into initdb to edit
the comments in the file doesn't really seem like a worthwhile use of
time. (I still think we should get rid of the commented-out settings
altogether, but that's another argument...)

...Robert