Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:55:13 -0400
From: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
To: Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@2ndquadrant.com>
Cc: Stephen Frost <sfrost@snowman.net>, Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com>,
	Peter Eisentraut <peter.eisentraut@2ndquadrant.com>,
	Ants Aasma <ants.aasma@eesti.ee>,
	PostgreSQL-development <pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: WIP: Data at rest encryption
Message-ID: <20170615235513.GF11450@momjian.us>
References: <20170615234443.GE11450@momjian.us>
 <20170615235136.64zkk5e5cwbf2svc@alvherre.pgsql>
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On Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 07:51:36PM -0400, Alvaro Herrera wrote:
> Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > On Thu, Jun 15, 2017 at 07:27:55PM -0400, Stephen Frost wrote:
> > > I expect the same would happen with the shell-command approach suggested
> > > up-thread and the prompt-on-stdin approach too, they aren't great but I
> > > expect users would still use the feature.  As Robert and I have
> > > mentioned, there is a good bit of value to having this feature simply
> > > because it avoids the need to get someone with root privileges to set up
> > > an encrypted volume and I don't think having to use a shell command or
> > > providing the password on stdin at startup really changes that very
> > > much.
> > 
> > Understood, but now you are promoting a feature with an admittedly-poor
> > API, duplication of an OS feature, and perhaps an invasive change to the
> > code.  Those are high hurdles.
> 
> I thought we called it "incremental development".  From the opposite
> point of view, would you say we should ban use of passphrase-protected
> SSL key files because the current user interface for them is bad?
> 
> I have no use for data-at-rest encryption myself, but I wouldn't stop
> development just because the initial design proposal doesn't include
> top-notch key management.

Yes, but we have to have a plan on how to improve it.  Why add a feature
that is hard to maintain, and hard to use.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

+ As you are, so once was I.  As I am, so you will be. +
+                      Ancient Roman grave inscription +


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