initdb should create a warning message [was Re: [ADMIN] Size on Disk]

On Wed, 2003-11-26 at 05:53, Tom Lane wrote:
> Grzegorz Dostatni <dostatnig(at)yahoo(dot)com> writes:
> > Currently the datase is roughly 80 Megs. About half of
> > the size is stored in pg_xlog directory. I managed to
> > figure out that those files are transaction log files?
> > How can I delete them safely?
>
> You can NOT. Don't even think about going there.
>
> What you can do, if you intend only low-update-volume usage,
> is reduce checkpoint_segments to reduce the number of WAL files
> the system wants to keep around.

The use of the word "log" in the directory name does tend to invite this
error, and some have acted on it without asking first. I think initdb
should put a README.IMPORTANT file in $PGDATA to say,

pg_xlog and pg_clog are crucial to the preservation of your
data. They do not contain standard log files. Do not even think
about deleting them to save space; you would destroy your
database.

The cost is only one disk block per cluster, and it might deflect some
of the weaponry pointed at hapless feet...

Patch for initdb.c attached

I notice that pg_clog and pg_xlog are not mentioned in the index to the
documentation, which makes it more difficult for people to find out what
they are. I therefore also attach a doc patch to add index entries for
those two files.

--
Oliver Elphick Oliver(dot)Elphick(at)lfix(dot)co(dot)uk
Isle of Wight, UK http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
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