Subject: Implications of resetting Postgres service in Windows

From: Albert Gostick <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2020 13:23:33 -0400

We have Postgres 9.4 installed on Win2012.  It was installed by an
outside contractor years ago. 

I was asked to review and change all the passwords used in Postgres
(along with another product) and noticed that on this server, the
postgres service "postgresql-x64-9.4" runs under the "Network Service"
account and it has a password associated with it. 

I sort of think I can guess the password used by the developer, but I
cannot be sure. 

If I change this password, what are the implications: 

a) nothing - the password is only used to secure the service running 

or 

b) the password also needs to be changed somehow within the database
(using pgAdmin I assume - although I have not found a screen there to
change the superuser password). 

Any suggestions would be appreciated!  I just want to update the
passwords as per higher management but not knock out the server! 

Thanks.

---

From: Tom Lane <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2020 13:56:16 -0400

> change the superuser password). 

(a) is correct; whatever password the operating system account may have
is irrelevant to, indeed not known to, the Postgres server.

You will need to be sure that the server can still be started
successfully, of course.

(It is of course possible that the previous admin used the same password
inside the database as for the OS account, but that would be a chance
coincidence from our standpoint.)

			regards, tom lane