Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2008 08:00:49 -0500
From: Decibel! <decibel@decibel.org>
To: Gregory Stark <stark@enterprisedb.com>
Cc: Josh Berkus <josh@agliodbs.com>, pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Overhauling GUCS
Message-ID: <20080604130049.GG65238@decibel.org>
References: <48409D1E.3070208@agliodbs.com> <16866.1212251015@sss.pgh.pa.us>
	<200805311144.38056.josh@agliodbs.com>
	<87tzgejmeh.fsf@oxford.xeocode.com>
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On Sat, May 31, 2008 at 08:36:54PM +0100, Gregory Stark wrote:
> > 4) By shifting from a model where postgresql.conf is document-formatted=
 and=20
> > hand-edited to one where it's machine generated, it becomes vastly easi=
er to=20
> > write simple utilities to manage these settings.  Right now, the big=20
> > "obstacle" to things like SET PERSISTENT is "how to we preseve the=20
> > hand-edited comments in the file" -- and the answer is we *don't.* =20
>=20
> What this sounds like is a sly way to try to get rid of postgresql.conf
> entirely and replace it with parameters stored in the database so admins =
would
> adjust the parameters using an SQL syntax rather than a text file.
>=20
> There are pros and cons of such a system but I think for newbie admins th=
at
> would be a thousand times *more* baffling. You would have to learn new
> commands and have no holistic view of what parameters had been set, what
> related parameters might exist. You also have no way to keep the file in a
> version control system or sync across servers etc.

It doesn't have to be in the database. I kinda like Oracle's method
here; they default to storing config options in a binary file that
(iirc) you can change via commands, but they also provide a way to turn
that binary file into text (and back). That would allow for a lot of
options when it comes to configuring stuff.
--=20
Decibel!, aka Jim C. Nasby, Database Architect  decibel@decibel.org=20
Give your computer some brain candy! www.distributed.net Team #1828

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