Re: pg_config, pg_service.conf, postgresql.conf ....

"Mark Woodward" <pgsql(at)mohawksoft(dot)com> writes:
>> pg_config --sysconfdir

> Hmm, that doesn't show up with pg_config --help.

It's in 8.1.

> One of my difficulties with PostgreSQL is that there is no "standardized"
> location for where everything is located, i.e. self documenting. If you
> know that "/usr/local/pgsql/etc/pg_service.conf" will contain a list of
> services, that is really awesome.

I can't see a use-case for this at all, certainly not one that would
override the reasons why there isn't a standardized location already.
If we tried to force this to happen, it would
* break building temp installations without root, because you'd
not be able to list the installation in the central file
* get modified by packagers to fit their ideas of filesystem
layout, hence the "standard" location would be no such thing

The concept really only works for one root-made installation on a single
filesystem layout, and in that situation you hardly need it anyway,
because you already know where the database is gonna be (eg with RPM
installations it's gonna be /var/lib/pgsql/data).

I don't see any plausibility to the concept of a configuration file that
is in a more predictable place than the database itself is. I certainly
don't see any plausibility to the idea that we're going to be able to
force such a file to exist and be accurate in the face of admin
errors/oversights, which is basically the situation you are presenting
as the use-case.

regards, tom lane