From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: Thom Brown <thom@linux.com>
cc: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>, pgsql-docs <pgsql-docs@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: PGDATA confusion
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Comments: In-reply-to Thom Brown <thom@linux.com>
	message dated "Sun, 14 Apr 2013 08:56:12 +0100"
Date: Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:50:46 -0400
Message-ID: <519.1365951046@sss.pgh.pa.us>
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Thom Brown <thom@linux.com> writes:
> I've found another unfortunate inconsistency.

> PGDATA is not necessarily the same location in these 2 commands:

> pg_ctl start -D DATADIR
> pg_ctl stop -D DATADIR

> The first one requires that the postgresql.conf file be located in the
> specified directory.  The second one needs to find the pid file.  On
> Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint/Gentoo (and probably most other Linux
> distros), it would mean 2 different locations for each:

> pg_ctl start -D /etc/postgresql/9.2/main/
> pg_ctl stop -D /var/lib/postgresql/9.2/main/

This is one of the reasons why an external config file isn't as great
an idea as some people think.

I wonder whether we shouldn't simply remove the ability for
postgresql.conf to exist outside the data directory (which would be
mechanized by removing the ability to set data_directory to something
other than the place where the config file is found).  People who prefer
to keep their config somewhere else can reduce the in-the-directory file
to just "include /some/other/file".  But otherwise, this would get rid
of a confusing and completely unnecessary inconsistency between
different installations.

			regards, tom lane


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