Commit 39cefa66 authored by Bruce Momjian's avatar Bruce Momjian

Updates for 6.1.1.

parent 69e5d638
PostgreSQL 6.1.1 Sun Jul 13 15:11:47 EDT 1997
-------------------------------------------------------------
This release does not require a dump/restore. Rerun configure. Compile
the new release. Recompile all your custom applications so they use the
libpq library in this new release. Stop the postmaster process, install
the new release, and restart the postmaster.
Changes in this release
-----------------------
fix for SET with options (Thomas)
fix month boundary arithmetic(Thomas)
fix timezone daylight handling for some ports(Thomas)
allow pg_dump/pg_dumpall to preserve ownership of all tables/objects(Bruce)
new psql \connect option allows changing usernames without chaning databases
fix for datetime arithmetic over month boundaries(Thomas)
fix for initdb --debug option(Tatsuo)
lextest cleanup(Bruce)
hash fixes(Vadim)
psql's \d now case-insensitive(Bruce)
psql's backslash commands can now have trailing semicolon(Bruce)
fix memory leak in psql when using \g(Bruce)
major fix for endian handling of communication to server(Thomas, Tatsuo)
improvements in datetime and timespan routines(Thomas)
timestamp overhauled to use standard functions(Thomas)
Fix for Solaris assembler and include files(Yoshihiko Ichikawa)
allow underscores in usernames(Bruce)
pg_dumpall now returns proper status, portability fix(Bruce)
PostgreSQL 6.1 Sun Jun 8 14:41:13 EDT 1997 PostgreSQL 6.1 Sun Jun 8 14:41:13 EDT 1997
------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------
......
...@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ POSTGRESQL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ...@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ POSTGRESQL INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
Copyright (c) 1997 Regents of the University of California Copyright (c) 1997 Regents of the University of California
This is file /usr/src/pgsql/INSTALL. It contains notes on how to install This is file /usr/src/pgsql/INSTALL. It contains notes on how to install
PostgreSQL v6.1. Up to date information on PostgreSQL may be found at PostgreSQL v6.1.1. Up to date information on PostgreSQL may be found at
http://www.postgresql.org. http://www.postgresql.org.
PostgreSQL is an RDBMS database server. It is not completely ANSI SQL PostgreSQL is an RDBMS database server. It is not completely ANSI SQL
...@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ REQUIREMENTS TO RUN POSTGRESQL ...@@ -40,10 +40,10 @@ REQUIREMENTS TO RUN POSTGRESQL
PostgreSQL has been tested on the following platforms: PostgreSQL has been tested on the following platforms:
aix IBM on AIX 3.2.5 aix IBM on AIX 3.2.5 or 4.x
alpha DEC Alpha AXP on OSF/1 2.0 alpha DEC Alpha AXP on OSF/1 2.0
BSD44_derived OSs derived from 4.4-lite BSD (NetBSD, FreeBSD) BSD44_derived OSs derived from 4.4-lite BSD (NetBSD, FreeBSD)
bsdi BSD/OS 2.0, 2.01, 2.1 bsdi BSD/OS 2.0, 2.01, 2.1, 3.0
dgux DG/UX 5.4R3.10 dgux DG/UX 5.4R3.10
hpux HP PA-RISC on HP-UX 9.0 hpux HP PA-RISC on HP-UX 9.0
i386_solaris i386 Solaris i386_solaris i386 Solaris
...@@ -67,8 +67,17 @@ You should have at least 8 MB of memory and at least 45 MB of disk space ...@@ -67,8 +67,17 @@ You should have at least 8 MB of memory and at least 45 MB of disk space
to hold the source, binaries, and user databases. After installation to hold the source, binaries, and user databases. After installation
you may reduce this to about 3 Mbytes plus space for user databases. you may reduce this to about 3 Mbytes plus space for user databases.
To upgrade from PostgreSQL v6.1 to v6.1.1 do the following:
To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: -----------------------------------------------------------
1) Run configure on the new release
2) Compile the new release
3) Recompile your custom applications to use the new libpq library
4) Stop the postmaster
5) Install the new release
6) Restart the postmaster
To those doing a fresh install or upgrading to PostgreSQL v6.1.1
from 6.0 or 1.* release, do the following:
---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------
1) Read any last minute information and platform specific porting 1) Read any last minute information and platform specific porting
...@@ -109,7 +118,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -109,7 +118,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
To check for disk space, use command "df -k". To check for disk space, use command "df -k".
4) Ftp file ftp://ftp.postgresql.org/pub/postgresql-v6.1.tar.gz from the 4) Ftp file ftp://ftp.postgresql.org/pub/postgresql-v6.1.1.tar.gz from the
internet. Store it in your home directory. internet. Store it in your home directory.
5) Some platforms use flex. If your system uses flex then make sure 5) Some platforms use flex. If your system uses flex then make sure
...@@ -151,7 +160,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -151,7 +160,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
postgres super user. Type (with the gunzip line and the following postgres super user. Type (with the gunzip line and the following
line typed as one line): line typed as one line):
cd cd
gunzip -c postgresql-v6.1.tar.gz | gunzip -c postgresql-v6.1.1.tar.gz |
tar xvf - src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall tar xvf - src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall
chmod a+x src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall chmod a+x src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall
src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall > db.out src/bin/pg_dump/pg_dumpall > db.out
...@@ -216,7 +225,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -216,7 +225,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
10) Unzip and untar the new source file. Type 10) Unzip and untar the new source file. Type
cd /usr/src/pgsql cd /usr/src/pgsql
gunzip -c ~/postgresql-v6.1.tar.gz | tar xvf - gunzip -c ~/postgresql-v6.1.1.tar.gz | tar xvf -
11) Configure the source code for your system. It is this step at which 11) Configure the source code for your system. It is this step at which
you can specify your actual source path and installation paths for you can specify your actual source path and installation paths for
...@@ -408,10 +417,10 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -408,10 +417,10 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
Here is an example from a i686/Linux-ELF platform (this is the platform Here is an example from a i686/Linux-ELF platform (this is the platform
on which most of the regression tests were generated). No tests failed on which most of the regression tests were generated). No tests failed
since this is the v6.1 regression reference platform. since this is the v6.1.1 regression reference platform.
Here is an example from the SPARC/Linux-ELF platform. Using the Here is an example from the SPARC/Linux-ELF platform. Using the
970525 beta version of PostgreSQL v6.1 the following tests "failed". 970525 beta version of PostgreSQL v6.1.1 the following tests "failed".
float8 and geometry "failed" due to minor precision differences in float8 and geometry "failed" due to minor precision differences in
floating point numbers. select_views produces massively different output, floating point numbers. select_views produces massively different output,
but the differences are due to minor floating point differences. but the differences are due to minor floating point differences.
...@@ -542,7 +551,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -542,7 +551,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
rm -rf /usr/local/pgsql_6_0 rm -rf /usr/local/pgsql_6_0
# Also delete old database directory tree if it is not in # Also delete old database directory tree if it is not in
# /usr/local/pgsql_6_0/data # /usr/local/pgsql_6_0/data
rm ~/postgresql-v6.1.tar.gz rm ~/postgresql-v6.1.1.tar.gz
26) You will probably want to print out the documentation. Here is how 26) You will probably want to print out the documentation. Here is how
you might do it if you have Ghostscript on your system and are you might do it if you have Ghostscript on your system and are
...@@ -569,7 +578,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following: ...@@ -569,7 +578,7 @@ To upgrade to PostgreSQL v6.1 do the following:
supported platforms. We therefore ask you to let us know if you did supported platforms. We therefore ask you to let us know if you did
or did not get PostgreSQL to work on you system. Please send a or did not get PostgreSQL to work on you system. Please send a
mail message to pgsql-ports@postgresql.org telling us the following: mail message to pgsql-ports@postgresql.org telling us the following:
- The version of PostgreSQL (v6.1, v6.2 beta 970703, etc.). - The version of PostgreSQL (v6.1, 6.1.1, beta 970703, etc.).
- Your operating system (i.e. RedHat v4.0 Linux v2.0.26). - Your operating system (i.e. RedHat v4.0 Linux v2.0.26).
- Your hardware (SPARC, i486, etc.). - Your hardware (SPARC, i486, etc.).
- Did you compile, install and run the regression tests cleanly? - Did you compile, install and run the regression tests cleanly?
......
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>PostgreSQL FAQ</title>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#000000" LINK="#FF0000" VLINK="#A00000" ALINK="#0000FF">
<H1>
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL
</H1>
<P>
Last updated: Wed Jun 11 10:44:40 EDT 1997
<BR>
Version: 6.1
<P>
Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (<a
href="mailto:maillist@candle.pha.pa.us">maillist@candle.pha.pa.us</a>)<BR>
<P>
The most recent version of this document can be viewed at
the postgreSQL Web site, <a
href="http://postgreSQL.org">http://postgreSQL.org</a>.
<P>
Linux-specific questions are answered in
<a href="http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Linux.phtml">http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Linux.phtml</a>.
<P>
Irix-specific questions are answered in
<a href="http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Irix.phtml">http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Irix.phtml</a>.
<P>
Changes in this version (* = modified, + = new):
<UL>
<LI>3.42) What is Genetic Query Optimization?<BR>
<LI>3.43) I am running Solaris and my dates display wrong. Why?<BR>
</UL>
<HR>
<P>
<H2>Questions answered:</H2>
<H3> 1) General questions</H3>
<a href="#1.1">1.1</a>) What is PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#1.2">1.2</a>) What does PostgreSQL run on?<BR>
<a href="#1.3">1.3</a>) Where can I get PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#1.4">1.4</a>) What's the copyright on PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#1.5">1.5</a>) Support for PostgreSQL<BR>
<a href="#1.6">1.6</a>) Latest release of PostgreSQL<BR>
<a href="#1.7">1.7</a>) Is there a commercial version of PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#1.9">1.9</a>) What version of SQL does PostgreSQL use?<BR>
<a href="#1.10">1.10</a>) Does PostgreSQL work with databases from
earlier versions of postgres?<BR>
<a href="#1.11">1.11</a>) How many people use PostgreSQL?<BR>
<H3> 2) Installation questions</H3>
<a href="#2.1">2.1</a>) initdb doesn't run<BR>
<a href="#2.2">2.2</a>) when I start up the postmaster, I get
"FindBackend: could not find a backend to execute..."
"postmaster: could not find backend to execute..."<BR>
<a href="#2.3">2.3</a>) The system seems to be confused about commas,
decimal points, and date formats.<BR>
<a href="#2.4">2.4</a>) How do I install PostgreSQL somewhere other than
/usr/local/pgsql?<BR>
<a href="#2.5">2.5</a>) When I run postmaster, I get a Bad System Call
core dumped message.<BR>
<a href="#2.6">2.6</a>) When I try to start the postmaster, I get
IpcMemoryCreate errors.<BR>
<a href="#2.7">2.7</a>) I have changed a source file, but a
recompile does not see the change?<BR>
<H3> 3) Operational questions</H3>
<a href="#3.1">3.1</a>) How do I specify a KEY or other constraints on a
column?<BR>
<a href="#3.2">3.2</a>) Does PostgreSQL support nested subqueries?<BR>
<a href="#3.3">3.3</a>) How do I define a unique indices?<BR>
<a href="#3.4">3.4</a>) I've having a lot of problems using rules.<BR>
<a href="#3.5">3.5</a>) I can't seem to write into the middle of large
objects reliably.<BR>
<a href="#3.6">3.6</a>) Does PostgreSQL have a graphical user interface?
A report generator? A embedded query language interface?<BR>
<a href="#3.7">3.7</a>) How can I write client applications to
PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#3.8">3.8</a>) How do I prevent other hosts from accessing my
PostgreSQL<BR>
<a href="#3.9">3.9</a>) How do I set up a pg_group?<BR>
<a href="#3.10">3.10</a>) What is the exact difference between
binary cursors and normal cursors?<BR>
<a href="#3.11">3.11</a>) Why doesn't the != operator work?<BR>
<a href="#3.12">3.12</a>) What is a R-tree index and what is it
used for?<BR>
<a href="#3.13">3.13</a>) What is the maximum size for a
tuple?<BR>
<a href="#3.14">3.14</a>) I defined indices but my queries don't
seem to make use of them. Why?<BR>
<a href="#3.15">3.15</a>) Are there ODBC drivers for
PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#3.16">3.16</a>) How do I use postgres for
multi-dimensional indexing (&gt; 2 dimensions)?<BR>
<a href="#3.17">3.17</a>) How do I do regular expression searches?
case-insensitive regexp searching?<BR>
<a href="#3.18">3.18</a>) I can't access the database as the
'root' user.<BR>
<a href="#3.19">3.19</a>) I experienced a server crash during a
vacuum. How do I remove the lock file?<BR>
<a href="#3.20">3.20</a>) What is the difference between the
various character types?<BR>
<a href="#3.21">3.21</a>) In a query, how do I detect if a field
is NULL?<BR>
<a href="#3.22">3.22</a>) How do I see how the query optimizer is
evaluating my query?<BR>
<a href="#3.23">3.23</a>) How do I create a serial field?<BR>
<a href="#3.24">3.24</a>) How do I create a multi-column
index?<BR>
<a href="#3.25">3.25</a>) What are the temp_XXX files in my
database directory?<BR>
<a href="#3.26">3.26</a>) Why are my table files not getting any
smaller after a delete?<BR>
<a href="#3.27">3.27</a>) Why can't I connect to my database from
another machine?<BR>
<a href="#3.28">3.28</a>) I get the error 'default index class
unsupported' when creating an index. How do I do it?<BR>
<a href="#3.29">3.29</a>) Why does creating an index crash the
backend server?<BR>
<a href="#3.30">3.30</a>) How do I find out what indexes or
operations are defined in the database?<BR>
<a href="#3.31">3.31</a>) Why do statements require an extra character at
the end? Why does 'createuser' return 'unexpected last match in
input()'? Why does pg_dump fail?<BR>
<a href="#3.32">3.32</a>) All my servers crash under concurrent
table access. Why?<BR>
<a href="#3.33">3.33</a>) What tools are available for hooking
postgres to Web pages?<BR>
<a href="#3.34">3.34</a>) What is the time-warp feature and how
does it relate to vacuum?<BR>
<a href="#3.35">3.35</a>) How do I tune the database engine for
better performance?<BR>
<a href="#3.36">3.36</a>) What debugging features are available in
PostgreSQL?<BR>
<a href="#3.37">3.37</a>) What is an oid? What is a tid?<BR>
<a href="#3.38">3.38</a>) What is the meaning of some of the terms
used in Postgres?<BR>
<a href="#3.39">3.39</a>) What is Genetic Query Optimization?<BR>
<a href="#3.40">3.40</a>) I am running Solaris and my dates
display wrong. Why?
<a href="#3.41">3.41</a>) How do I enable more than 32 concurrent
backends?
<H3> 4) Questions about extending PostgreSQL</H3>
<a href="#4.1">4.1</a>) I wrote a user-defined function and when I run
it in psql, it dumps core.<BR>
<a href="#4.2">4.2</a>) I get messages of the type
NOTICE:PortalHeapMemoryFree: 0x402251d0<BR>
<a href="#4.3">4.3</a>) I've written some nifty new types and functions
for PostgreSQL.<BR>
<a href="#4.4">4.4</a>) How do I write a C function to return a
tuple?<BR>
<H3> 5) Bugs</H3>
<a href="#5.1">5.1</a>) How do I make a bug report?
<HR> <H2> Section 1: General Questions</H2> <H3><a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL
name="1.1">1.1</a>) What is PostgreSQL?</H3>
Last updated: Sun Jul 13 15:26:53 EDT 1997
Version: 6.1.1
Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (maillist@candle.pha.pa.us)
The most recent version of this document can be viewed at the
postgreSQL Web site, http://postgreSQL.org.
Linux-specific questions are answered in
http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Linux.phtml.
Irix-specific questions are answered in
http://postgreSQL.org/docs/FAQ-Irix.phtml.
Changes in this version (* = modified, + = new):
* 3.42) What is Genetic Query Optimization?
* 3.43) I am running Solaris and my dates display wrong. Why?
_________________________________________________________________
Questions answered:
<P> 1) General questions
PostgreSQL is an enhancement of the POSTGRES database management system,
a next-generation DBMS research prototype. While PostgreSQL retains the 1.1) What is PostgreSQL?
powerful data model and rich data types of POSTGRES, it replaces the 1.2) What does PostgreSQL run on?
PostQuel query language with an extended subset of SQL. PostgreSQL is 1.3) Where can I get PostgreSQL?
free and the complete source is available. 1.4) What's the copyright on PostgreSQL?
<P> 1.5) Support for PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL development is being performed by a team of Internet 1.6) Latest release of PostgreSQL
developers who all subscribe to the PostgreSQL development mailing list. 1.7) Is there a commercial version of PostgreSQL?
The current coordinator is Marc G. Fournier (<a 1.9) What version of SQL does PostgreSQL use?
href="mailto:scrappy@postgreSQL.org">scrappy@postgreSQL.org</a>). (See 1.10) Does PostgreSQL work with databases from earlier versions of
below on how to join). This team is now responsible for all current and postgres?
future development of PostgreSQL. 1.11) How many people use PostgreSQL?
<P>
The authors of PostgreSQL 1.01 were Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen. Many 2) Installation questions
others have contributed to the porting, testing, debugging and
enhancement of the code. The original Postgres code, from which 2.1) initdb doesn't run
PostgreSQL is derived, was the effort of many graduate students, 2.2) when I start up the postmaster, I get "FindBackend: could not
undergraduate students, and staff programmers working under the find a backend to execute..." "postmaster: could not find backend to
direction of Professor Michael Stonebraker at the University of execute..."
California, Berkeley. 2.3) The system seems to be confused about commas, decimal points, and
<P> date formats.
The original name of the software at Berkeley was Postgres. When SQL 2.4) How do I install PostgreSQL somewhere other than
functionality was added in 1995, its name was changed to Postgres95. The /usr/local/pgsql?
name was changed at the end of 1996 to PostgreSQL. 2.5) When I run postmaster, I get a Bad System Call core dumped
<P> message.
<H3><a name="1.2">1.2</a>) What does PostgreSQL run 2.6) When I try to start the postmaster, I get IpcMemoryCreate errors.
on?</H3> 2.7) I have changed a source file, but a recompile does not see the
<P> change?
The authors have compiled and tested PostgreSQL on the following
platforms(some of these compiles require gcc 2.7.0): 3) Operational questions
<UL>
<LI> aix - IBM on AIX 3.2.5 3.1) How do I specify a KEY or other constraints on a column?
<LI> alpha - DEC Alpha AXP on OSF/1 2.0 3.2) Does PostgreSQL support nested subqueries?
<LI> BSD44_derived - OSs derived from 4.4-lite BSD (NetBSD, FreeBSD) 3.3) How do I define a unique indices?
<LI> bsdi - BSD/OS 2.0, 2.01, 2.1, 3.0 3.4) I've having a lot of problems using rules.
<LI> dgux - DG/UX 5.4R3.10 3.5) I can't seem to write into the middle of large objects reliably.
<LI> hpux - HP PA-RISC on HP-UX 9.0 3.6) Does PostgreSQL have a graphical user interface? A report
<LI> i386_solaris - i386 Solaris generator? A embedded query language interface?
<LI> irix5 - SGI MIPS on IRIX 5.3 3.7) How can I write client applications to PostgreSQL?
<LI> linux - Intel x86 on Linux 1.2 and Linux ELF 3.8) How do I prevent other hosts from accessing my PostgreSQL
(For non-ELF Linux, see LINUX_ELF below). 3.9) How do I set up a pg_group?
<LI> sparc_solaris - SUN SPARC on Solaris 2.4 3.10) What is the exact difference between binary cursors and normal
<LI> sunos4 - SUN SPARC on SunOS 4.1.3 cursors?
<LI> svr4 - Intel x86 on Intel SVR4 3.11) Why doesn't the != operator work?
<LI> ultrix4 - DEC MIPS on Ultrix 4.4 3.12) What is a R-tree index and what is it used for?
</UL> 3.13) What is the maximum size for a tuple?
The following platforms have known problems/bugs: 3.14) I defined indices but my queries don't seem to make use of them.
<UL> Why?
<LI> nextstep - Motorola MC68K or Intel x86 on NeXTSTEP 3.2 3.15) Are there ODBC drivers for PostgreSQL?
</UL> 3.16) How do I use postgres for multi-dimensional indexing (> 2
<P> dimensions)?
<H3><a name="1.3">1.3</a>) Where can I get PostgreSQL?</H3> 3.17) How do I do regular expression searches? case-insensitive regexp
<P> The primary anonymous ftp site for PostgreSQL is: searching?
<UL> 3.18) I can't access the database as the 'root' user.
<LI> <a 3.19) I experienced a server crash during a vacuum. How do I remove
href="ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub">ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub</a> the lock file?
</UL> 3.20) What is the difference between the various character types?
<P> A mirror site exists at: 3.21) In a query, how do I detect if a field is NULL?
<UL> 3.22) How do I see how the query optimizer is evaluating my query?
<LI> <a 3.23) How do I create a serial field?
href="ftp://postgres95.vnet.net/pub/postgres95">ftp://postgres95.vnet.net/pub/postgres95</a> 3.24) How do I create a multi-column index?
<LI> <a 3.25) What are the temp_XXX files in my database directory?
href="ftp://ftp.luga.or.at/pub/postgres95">ftp://ftp.luga.or.at/pub/postgres95</a> 3.26) Why are my table files not getting any smaller after a delete?
<LI> <a 3.27) Why can't I connect to my database from another machine?
href="ftp://cal011111.student.utwente.nl/pub/postgres95">ftp://cal011111.student.utwente.nl/pub/postgres95</a> 3.28) I get the error 'default index class unsupported' when creating
<LI> <a an index. How do I do it?
href="ftp://ftp.uni-trier.de/pub/database/rdbms/postgres/postgres95">ftp://ftp.uni-trier.de/pub/database/rdbms/postgres/postgres95</a> 3.29) Why does creating an index crash the backend server?
<LI> <a 3.30) How do I find out what indexes or operations are defined in the
href="ftp://rocker.sch.bme.hu">ftp://rocker.sch.bme.hu</a> database?
</UL> 3.31) Why do statements require an extra character at the end? Why
<H3><a name="1.4">1.4</a>) What's the copyright on does 'createuser' return 'unexpected last match in input()'? Why does
PostgreSQL?</H3> pg_dump fail?
<P> 3.32) All my servers crash under concurrent table access. Why?
PostgreSQL is subject to the following COPYRIGHT. 3.33) What tools are available for hooking postgres to Web pages?
<P> 3.34) What is the time-warp feature and how does it relate to vacuum?
PostgreSQL Data Base Management System 3.35) How do I tune the database engine for better performance?
<P> 3.36) What debugging features are available in PostgreSQL?
Copyright (c) 1994-6 Regents of the University of California 3.37) What is an oid? What is a tid?
<P> 3.38) What is the meaning of some of the terms used in Postgres?
Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its 3.39) What is Genetic Query Optimization?
documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written 3.40) I am running Solaris and my dates display wrong. Why? 3.41) How
agreement is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice do I enable more than 32 concurrent backends?
and this paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all
copies. 4) Questions about extending PostgreSQL
<P>
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY 4.1) I wrote a user-defined function and when I run it in psql, it
FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, dumps core.
INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND ITS 4.2) I get messages of the type NOTICE:PortalHeapMemoryFree:
DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN ADVISED OF 0x402251d0
THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. 4.3) I've written some nifty new types and functions for PostgreSQL.
<P> 4.4) How do I write a C function to return a tuple?
THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES,
INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY 5) Bugs
AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE PROVIDED HEREUNDER
IS ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS NO 5.1) How do I make a bug report?
OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT, UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR _________________________________________________________________
MODIFICATIONS.
<P> Section 1: General Questions
<H3><a name="1.5">1.5</a>) Support for PostgreSQL </H3>
<P>
There is no official support for PostgreSQL from the original
maintainers or from University of California, Berkeley. It is
maintained through volunteer effort only.
<P>
The main mailing list is: <a
href="mailto:questions@postgreSQL.org">questions@postgreSQL.org</a>. It
is available for discussion o f matters pertaining to PostgreSQL,
including but not limited to bug reports and fixes. For info on how to
subscribe, send a mail with the lines in the body (not the subject line)
<PRE>
<CODE>
subscribe
end
</CODE>
</PRE>
<P>
to <a
href="mailto:questions-request@postgreSQL.org">questions-request@postgreSQL.org</a>.
<P>
There is also a digest list available. To subscribe to this list, send
email to:
<a
href="mailto:questions-digest-request@postgreSQL.org">
questions-digest-request@postgreSQL.org</a> with a BODY of:
<PRE>
<KBD>
subscribe
end
</KBD>
</PRE>
Digests are sent out to members of this list whenever the main list has
received around 30k of messages.
<P>
There is a bugs mailing list available. To subscribe to this
list, send email to <a
href="mailto:bugs-request@postgreSQL.org">bugs-request@postgreSQL.org</a>
with a BODY of:
<P>
There is also a developers discussion mailing list available. To subscribe to this
list, send email to <a
href="mailto:hackers-request@postgreSQL.org">hackers-request@postgreSQL.org</a>
with a BODY of:
<P>
<PRE>
<KBD>
subscribe
end
</KBD>
</PRE>
<P>
Additional information about PostgreSQL can be found via the PostgreSQL
WWW home page at:
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<a
href="http://postgreSQL.org">http://postgreSQL.org</a>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>
<H3><a name="1.6">1.6</a>) Latest release of PostgreSQL</H3>
<P>
The latest release of PostgreSQL is version 6.0, which was released on
January 31, 1997. 6.1 is scheduled for release soon. For information
about what is new in 6.1, see our TODO list on our WWW page.
<P>
We expect a 7.0 release in several months that will remove time-travel
and reduce by 50% the size of on-disk system columns maintained for each
row in a table. This release will also require a dump and restore.
<P>
<H3><a name="1.7">1.7</a>) Is there a commercial version of PostgreSQL?</H3>
<P>
Illustra Information Technology (a wholly owned subsidiary of Informix
Software, Inc.) sells an object-relational DBMS called Illustra that was
originally based on postgres. Illustra has cosmetic similarities to
PostgreSQL but has more features, is more robust, performs better, and
offers real documentation and support. On the flip side, it costs
money. For more information, contact <a
href="mailto:sales@illustra.com">sales@illustra.com</a>
<P>
<H3><a name="1.8">1.8</a>) What documentation is available for PostgreSQL?</H3>
<P>
A user manual, manual pages, and some small test examples are included
in the distribution. The sql and built-in manual pages are particularly
important.
<P>
The www page contains pointers to an implementation guide and five
papers written about postgres design concepts and features.
<P>
<H3><a name="1.9">1.9</a>) What version of SQL does PostgreSQL use?</H3>
<P>
PostgreSQL supports a subset of SQL-92. It has most of the important
constructs but lacks some of the functionality. The most visible
differences are:
<UL>
<LI> no support for nested subqueries
<LI> no HAVING clause under a GROUP BY
</UL>
<P>
On the other hand, you get to create user-defined types, functions,
inheritance etc. If you're willing to help with PostgreSQL coding,
eventually we can also add the missing features listed above.
<P>
<H3><a name="1.10">1.10</a>) Does PostgreSQL work with databases from
earlier versions of postgres?</H3>
<P>
PostgreSQL v1.09 is compatible with databases created with v1.01. Those
upgrading from 1.0 should read the directions in the
MIGRATION_1.0_TO_1.02 directory.
<P>
Upgrading to 6.0 requires a dump and restore from previous releases.
<P>
Upgrading to 6.1 requires a dump and restore from previous releases.
<P>
Those ugrading from versions earlier than 1.09 must upgrade to 1.09
first without a dump/reload, then dump the data from 1.09, and then load
it into 6.0 or 6.1.
<P>
<H3><a name="1.11">1.11</a>) How many people use PostgreSQL?</H3>
<P>
Since we don't have any licensing or registration scheme, it's
impossible to tell. We do know hundreds copies of PostgreSQL v1.* have
been downloaded, and that there many hundreds of subscribers to the
mailing lists.
<P>
<HR>
<H2> Section 2: Installation Questions
</H2>
<P>
<H3><a name="2.1">2.1</a>) initdb doesn't run</H3>
<P>
<UL>
<LI> check to see that you have the proper paths set
<LI> check that the 'postgres' user owns all the right files
<LI> ensure that there are files in $PGDATA/files, and that they
are non-empty. If they aren't, then "gmake install" failed for
some reason
</UL>
<P>
<H3><a name="2.2">2.2</a>) when I start up the postmaster, I get
"FindBackend: could not find a backend to execute..."
"postmaster: could not find backend to execute..."</H3>
<P>
You probably do not have the right path set up. The 'postgres'
executable needs to be in your path.
<P>
<H3><a name="2.3">2.3</a>) The system seems to be confused about commas,
decimal points, and date formats.</H3>
<P>
Check your locale configuration. PostgreSQL uses the locale settings of
the user that ran the postmaster process. Set those accordingly for
your operating environment.
<P>
<H3><a name="2.4">2.4</a>) How do I install PostgreSQL somewhere other than
/usr/local/pgsql?</H3>
<P>
You need to edit Makefile.global and change POSTGRESDIR accordingly, or
create a Makefile.custom and define POSTGRESDIR there.
<P>
<H3><a name="2.5">2.5</a>) When I run postmaster, I get a Bad System
Call core dumped message.</H3>
<P>
It could be a variety of problems, but first check to see that you have
system V extensions installed on your kernel. PostgreSQL requires kernel
support for shared memory.
<P>
<H3><a name="2.6">2.6</a>) When I try to start the postmaster, I get
IpcMemoryCreate errors.</H3>
<P>
You either do not have shared memory configured properly in kernel or
you need to enlarge the shared memory available in the kernel. The
exact amount you need depends on your architecture and how many buffers
you configure postmaster to run with. For most systems, with default
buffer sizes, you need a minimum of ~760K.
<P>
<H3><a name="2.7">2.7</a>) I have changed a source file, but a
recompile does not see the change?</H3>
<P>
The Makefiles do not have the proper dependencies for include files. You
have to do a 'make clean' and then another 'make'.
<P>
<HR>
<H2> Section 3: PostgreSQL Features
</H2>
<P> 1.1) What is PostgreSQL?
<H3><a name="3.1">3.1</a>) How do I specify a KEY or other constraints on a
column?</H3> PostgreSQL is an enhancement of the POSTGRES database management
<P> system, a next-generation DBMS research prototype. While PostgreSQL
Column constraints are not supported in PostgreSQL. As a consequence, retains the powerful data model and rich data types of POSTGRES, it
the system does not check for duplicates. replaces the PostQuel query language with an extended subset of SQL.
<P> PostgreSQL is free and the complete source is available.
Under 6.0, create a unique index on the column. Attempts to create
duplicate of that column will report an error. PostgreSQL development is being performed by a team of Internet
<P> developers who all subscribe to the PostgreSQL development mailing
<H3><a name="3.2">3.2</a>) Does PostgreSQL support nested subqueries?</H3> list. The current coordinator is Marc G. Fournier
<P> (scrappy@postgreSQL.org). (See below on how to join). This team is now
Subqueries are not implemented, but they can be simulated using sql responsible for all current and future development of PostgreSQL.
functions.
<P> The authors of PostgreSQL 1.01 were Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen. Many
<H3><a name="3.3">3.3</a>) How do I define a unique indices?</H3> others have contributed to the porting, testing, debugging and
<P> enhancement of the code. The original Postgres code, from which
PostgreSQL 6.0 supports unique indices. PostgreSQL is derived, was the effort of many graduate students,
<P> undergraduate students, and staff programmers working under the
<H3><a name="3.4">3.4</a>) I've having a lot of problems using rules.</H3> direction of Professor Michael Stonebraker at the University of
<P> California, Berkeley.
Currently, the rule system in PostgreSQL is mostly broken. It works
enough to support the view mechanism, but that's about it. Use The original name of the software at Berkeley was Postgres. When SQL
PostgreSQL rules at your own peril. functionality was added in 1995, its name was changed to Postgres95.
<P> The name was changed at the end of 1996 to PostgreSQL.
<H3><a name="3.5">3.5</a>) I can't seem to write into the middle of large
objects reliably.</H3> 1.2) What does PostgreSQL run on?
<P>
The Inversion large object system in PostgreSQL is also mostly broken. The authors have compiled and tested PostgreSQL on the following
It works well enough for storing large wads of data and reading them platforms(some of these compiles require gcc 2.7.0):
back out, but the implementation has some underlying problems. Use * aix - IBM on AIX 3.2.5 or 4.x
PostgreSQL large objects at your own peril. * alpha - DEC Alpha AXP on OSF/1 2.0
<P> * BSD44_derived - OSs derived from 4.4-lite BSD (NetBSD, FreeBSD)
<H3><a name="3.6">3.6</a>) Does PostgreSQL have a graphical user interface? * bsdi - BSD/OS 2.0, 2.01, 2.1, 3.0
A report generator? A embedded query language interface?</H3> * dgux - DG/UX 5.4R3.10
<P> * hpux - HP PA-RISC on HP-UX 9.0
No. No. No. Not in the official distribution at least. Some users have * i386_solaris - i386 Solaris
reported some success at using 'pgbrowse' and 'onyx' as frontends to * irix5 - SGI MIPS on IRIX 5.3
PostgreSQL. Several contributions are working on tk based frontend * linux - Intel x86 on Linux 1.2 and Linux ELF (For non-ELF Linux,
tools. Ask on the mailing list. see LINUX_ELF below).
<P> * sparc_solaris - SUN SPARC on Solaris 2.4
<H3><a name="3.7">3.7</a>) How can I write client applications to PostgreSQL?</H3> * sunos4 - SUN SPARC on SunOS 4.1.3
<P> * svr4 - Intel x86 on Intel SVR4
PostgreSQL supports a C-callable library interface called libpq as well * ultrix4 - DEC MIPS on Ultrix 4.4
as a Tcl-based library interface called libtcl.
<P> The following platforms have known problems/bugs:
Others have contributed a perl interface and a WWW gateway to * nextstep - Motorola MC68K or Intel x86 on NeXTSTEP 3.2
PostgreSQL. See the PostgreSQL home pages for more details.
<P> 1.3) Where can I get PostgreSQL?
<H3><a name="3.8">3.8</a>) How do I prevent other hosts from accessing my
PostgreSQL backend?</H3> The primary anonymous ftp site for PostgreSQL is:
<P> * ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub
Use host-based authentication by modifying the file $PGDATA/pg_hba
accordingly. A mirror site exists at:
<P> * ftp://postgres95.vnet.net/pub/postgres95
<H3><a name="3.9">3.9</a>) How do I set up a pg_group?</H3> * ftp://ftp.luga.or.at/pub/postgres95
<P> * ftp://cal011111.student.utwente.nl/pub/postgres95
Currently, there is no easy interface to set up user groups. You have to * ftp://ftp.uni-trier.de/pub/database/rdbms/postgres/postgres95
explicitly insert/update the pg_group table. For example: * ftp://rocker.sch.bme.hu
<PRE>
<CODE> 1.4) What's the copyright on PostgreSQL?
jolly=&gt; insert into pg_group (groname, grosysid, grolist)
jolly=&gt; values ('posthackers', '1234', '{5443, 8261}'); PostgreSQL is subject to the following COPYRIGHT.
INSERT 548224
jolly=&gt; grant insert on foo to group posthackers; PostgreSQL Data Base Management System
CHANGE
jolly=&gt; Copyright (c) 1994-6 Regents of the University of California
</CODE>
</PRE> Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
<P> documentation for any purpose, without fee, and without a written
The fields in pg_group are: agreement is hereby granted, provided that the above copyright notice
<UL> and this paragraph and the following two paragraphs appear in all
<LI> groname: the group name. This a char16 and should copies.
be purely alphanumeric. Do not include underscores
or other punctuation. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BE LIABLE TO ANY PARTY
<LI> grosysid: the group id. This is an int4. FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
This should be unique for each group. INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE AND
<LI> grolist: the list of pg_user id's that belong in the group. ITS DOCUMENTATION, EVEN IF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN
This is an int4[]. ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
</UL>
<P> THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES,
<H3><a name="3.10">3.10</a>) What is the exact difference between binary INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
cursors and normal cursors?</H3> MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE SOFTWARE
<P> PROVIDED HEREUNDER IS ON AN "AS IS" BASIS, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF
Normal cursors return data back in ASCII format. Since data is stored CALIFORNIA HAS NO OBLIGATIONS TO PROVIDE MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT,
natively in binary format, the system must do a conversion to produce UPDATES, ENHANCEMENTS, OR MODIFICATIONS.
the ASCII format. In addition, ASCII formats are often large in size
than binary format. Once the attributes come back in ASCII, often the 1.5) Support for PostgreSQL
client application then has to convert it to a binary format to
manipulate it anyway. There is no official support for PostgreSQL from the original
<P> maintainers or from University of California, Berkeley. It is
Binary cursors give you back the data in the native binary maintained through volunteer effort only.
representation. Thus, binary cursors will tend to be a little faster
since there's less overhead of conversion. The main mailing list is: questions@postgreSQL.org. It is available
<P> for discussion o f matters pertaining to PostgreSQL, including but not
However, ASCII is architectural neutral whereas binary representation limited to bug reports and fixes. For info on how to subscribe, send a
can differ between different machine architecture. Thus, if your client mail with the lines in the body (not the subject line)
machine uses a different representation than you server machine, getting
back attributes in binary format is probably not what you want. Also, if
your main purpose is displaying the data in ASCII, then getting it back subscribe
in ASCII will save you some effort on the client side. end
<P>
<H3><a name="3.11">3.11</a>) Why doesn't the != operator work?</H3> to questions-request@postgreSQL.org.
<P>
SQL specifies &lt;&gt; as the inequality operator, and that is what we There is also a digest list available. To subscribe to this list, send
have defined for the built-in types. email to: questions-digest-request@postgreSQL.org with a BODY of:
<P>
In 6.0, != is equivalent to &lt;&gt;.
<P> subscribe
<H3><a name="3.12">3.12</a>) What is a R-tree index and what is it used for?</H3> end
<P>
An r-tree index is used for indexing spatial data. A hash index can't Digests are sent out to members of this list whenever the main list
handle range searches. A B-tree index only handles range searches in a has received around 30k of messages.
single dimension. R-tree's can handle multi-dimensional data. For
example, if a R-tree index can be built on an attribute of type 'point', There is a bugs mailing list available. To subscribe to this list,
the system can more efficient answer queries like select all points send email to bugs-request@postgreSQL.org with a BODY of:
within a bounding rectangle.
<P> There is also a developers discussion mailing list available. To
The canonical paper that describes the original R-Tree design is: subscribe to this list, send email to hackers-request@postgreSQL.org
<P> with a BODY of:
Guttman, A. "R-Trees: A Dynamic Index Structure for Spatial Searching."
Proc of the 1984 ACM SIGMOD Int'l Conf on Mgmt of Data, 45-57.
<P> subscribe
You can also find this paper in Stonebraker's "Readings in Database end
Systems"
<P> Additional information about PostgreSQL can be found via the
<H3><a name="3.13">3.13</a>) What is the maximum size for a tuple?</H3> PostgreSQL WWW home page at:
<P>
Tuples are limited to 8K bytes. Taking into account system attributes http://postgreSQL.org
and other overhead, one should stay well shy of 8,000 bytes to be on the
safe side. To use attributes larger than 8K, try using the large 1.6) Latest release of PostgreSQL
objects interface.
<P> The latest release of PostgreSQL is version 6.1.1, which will be
Tuples do not cross 8k boundaries so a 5k tuple will require 8k of released in July, 1997. For information about what is new in 6.1.1,
storage. see our TODO list on our WWW page.
<P>
<H3><a name="3.14">3.14</a>) I defined indices but my queries don't seem We expect a 7.0 release in several months that will remove time-travel
to make use of them. Why?</H3> and reduce by 50% the size of on-disk system columns maintained for
<P> each row in a table. This release will also require a dump and
PostgreSQL does not automatically maintain statistics. One has to make restore.
an explicit 'vacuum' call to update the statistics. After statistics
are updated, the optimizer has a better shot at using indices. Note 1.7) Is there a commercial version of PostgreSQL?
that the optimizer is limited and does not use indices in some
circumstances (such as OR clauses). Illustra Information Technology (a wholly owned subsidiary of Informix
<P> Software, Inc.) sells an object-relational DBMS called Illustra that
If the system still does not see the index, it is probably because you was originally based on postgres. Illustra has cosmetic similarities
have created an index on a field with the improper *_ops type. For to PostgreSQL but has more features, is more robust, performs better,
example, you have created a CHAR(4) field, but have specified a char_ops and offers real documentation and support. On the flip side, it costs
index type_class. money. For more information, contact sales@illustra.com
<P>
See the create_index manual page for information on what type classes 1.8) What documentation is available for PostgreSQL?
are available. It must match the field type.
<P> A user manual, manual pages, and some small test examples are included
Postgres does not warn the user when the improper index is created. in the distribution. The sql and built-in manual pages are
<P> particularly important.
Indexes not used for ORDER BY operations.
<P> The www page contains pointers to an implementation guide and five
<H3><a name="3.15">3.15</a>) Are there ODBC drivers for PostgreSQL?</H3> papers written about postgres design concepts and features.
<P>
There are two ODBC drivers available, PostODBC and OpenLink ODBC. 1.9) What version of SQL does PostgreSQL use?
<P>
For all people being interested in PostODBC, there are now two mailing PostgreSQL supports a subset of SQL-92. It has most of the important
lists devoted to the discussion of PostODBC. The mailing lists are: constructs but lacks some of the functionality. The most visible
<UL> differences are:
<LI> <a * no support for nested subqueries
href="mailto:postodbc-users@listserv.direct.net">postodbc-users@listserv.direct. * no HAVING clause under a GROUP BY
net</a>
<LI> <a On the other hand, you get to create user-defined types, functions,
href="mailto:postodbc-developers@listserv.direct.net">postodbc-developers@listse inheritance etc. If you're willing to help with PostgreSQL coding,
rv.direct.net</a> eventually we can also add the missing features listed above.
</UL>
<P> 1.10) Does PostgreSQL work with databases from earlier versions of postgres?
these lists are ordinary majordomo mailing lists. You can subscribe by
sending a mail to: PostgreSQL v1.09 is compatible with databases created with v1.01.
<UL> Those upgrading from 1.0 should read the directions in the
<LI> <a MIGRATION_1.0_TO_1.02 directory.
href="mailto:majordomo@listserv.direct.net">majordomo@listserv.direct.net</a>
</UL> Upgrading to 6.0 requires a dump and restore from previous releases.
<P>
OpenLink ODBC is currently in beta under Linux. You can get it from <a Upgrading to 6.1 requires a dump and restore from previous releases.
href="http://www.openlinksw.com/postgres.html">
http://www.openlinksw.com/postgres.html</a>. It works with our standard Upgrading from 6.1 to 6.1.1 requires a compile of the new release,
ODBC client software so you'll have Postgres ODBC available on every recompile of all your custom applications to use the new libpq, and
client platform we support (Win, Mac, Unix, VMS). then an install while the postmaster is temporarily stopped.
<P>
We will probably be selling this product to people who need Those ugrading from versions earlier than 1.09 must upgrade to 1.09
commercial-quality support, but a freeware version will always be first without a dump/reload, then dump the data from 1.09, and then
available. Questions to <a load it into 6.1.1.
href="mailto:postgres95@openlink.co.uk">postgres95@openlink.co.uk</a>.
<P> 1.11) How many people use PostgreSQL?
<H3><a name="3.16">3.16</a>) How do I use postgres for multi-dimensional
indexing (&gt; 2 dimensions)?</H3> Since we don't have any licensing or registration scheme, it's
<P> impossible to tell. We do know hundreds copies of PostgreSQL v1.* have
Builtin R-Trees can handle polygons and boxes. In theory, R-trees can been downloaded, and that there many hundreds of subscribers to the
be extended to handle higher number of dimensions. In practice, mailing lists.
extending R-trees require a bit of work and we don't currently have any
documentation on how to do it. _________________________________________________________________
<P>
<H3><a name="3.17">3.17</a>) How do I do regular expression searches? Section 2: Installation Questions
case-insensitive regexp searching?</H3>
<P> 2.1) initdb doesn't run
PostgreSQL supports the SQL LIKE syntax as well as more general regular
expression searching with the ~ operator. The !~ is the negated regexp * check to see that you have the proper paths set
operator. ~* and !~* are the case-insensitive regular expression * check that the 'postgres' user owns all the right files
operators. * ensure that there are files in $PGDATA/files, and that they are
<P> non-empty. If they aren't, then "gmake install" failed for some
<H3><a name="3.18">3.18</a>) I can't access the database as the 'root' user.</H3> reason
<P>
You should not create database users with user id 0(root). They will be 2.2) when I start up the postmaster, I get "FindBackend: could not find a
unable to access the database. This is a security precaution because backend to execute..." "postmaster: could not find backend to execute..."
of the ability of any user to dynamically link object modules into the
database engine. You probably do not have the right path set up. The 'postgres'
<P> executable needs to be in your path.
<H3><a name="3.19">3.19</a>) I experienced a server crash during a
vacuum. How do I remove the lock file?</H3> 2.3) The system seems to be confused about commas, decimal points, and date
<P> formats.
If the server crashes during a vacuum command, chances are it will leave
a lock file hanging around. Attempts to re-run the vacuum command Check your locale configuration. PostgreSQL uses the locale settings
result in of the user that ran the postmaster process. Set those accordingly for
<PRE> your operating environment.
<SAMP>
WARN:can't create lock file -- another vacuum cleaner running? 2.4) How do I install PostgreSQL somewhere other than /usr/local/pgsql?
</SAMP>
</PRE> You need to edit Makefile.global and change POSTGRESDIR accordingly,
<P> or create a Makefile.custom and define POSTGRESDIR there.
If you are sure that no vacuum is actually running, you can remove the
file called "pg_vlock" in your database directory (which is 2.5) When I run postmaster, I get a Bad System Call core dumped message.
$PGDATA/base/&lt;dbName&gt;)
<P> It could be a variety of problems, but first check to see that you
<H3><a name="3.20">3.20</a>) What is the difference between the various have system V extensions installed on your kernel. PostgreSQL requires
character types?</H3> kernel support for shared memory.
<PRE>
2.6) When I try to start the postmaster, I get IpcMemoryCreate errors.
You either do not have shared memory configured properly in kernel or
you need to enlarge the shared memory available in the kernel. The
exact amount you need depends on your architecture and how many
buffers you configure postmaster to run with. For most systems, with
default buffer sizes, you need a minimum of ~760K.
2.7) I have changed a source file, but a recompile does not see the change?
The Makefiles do not have the proper dependencies for include files.
You have to do a 'make clean' and then another 'make'.
_________________________________________________________________
Section 3: PostgreSQL Features
3.1) How do I specify a KEY or other constraints on a column?
Column constraints are not supported in PostgreSQL. As a consequence,
the system does not check for duplicates.
Under 6.0, create a unique index on the column. Attempts to create
duplicate of that column will report an error.
3.2) Does PostgreSQL support nested subqueries?
Subqueries are not implemented, but they can be simulated using sql
functions.
3.3) How do I define a unique indices?
PostgreSQL 6.0 supports unique indices.
3.4) I've having a lot of problems using rules.
Currently, the rule system in PostgreSQL is mostly broken. It works
enough to support the view mechanism, but that's about it. Use
PostgreSQL rules at your own peril.
3.5) I can't seem to write into the middle of large objects reliably.
The Inversion large object system in PostgreSQL is also mostly broken.
It works well enough for storing large wads of data and reading them
back out, but the implementation has some underlying problems. Use
PostgreSQL large objects at your own peril.
3.6) Does PostgreSQL have a graphical user interface? A report generator? A
embedded query language interface?
No. No. No. Not in the official distribution at least. Some users have
reported some success at using 'pgbrowse' and 'onyx' as frontends to
PostgreSQL. Several contributions are working on tk based frontend
tools. Ask on the mailing list.
3.7) How can I write client applications to PostgreSQL?
PostgreSQL supports a C-callable library interface called libpq as
well as a Tcl-based library interface called libtcl.
Others have contributed a perl interface and a WWW gateway to
PostgreSQL. See the PostgreSQL home pages for more details.
3.8) How do I prevent other hosts from accessing my PostgreSQL backend?
Use host-based authentication by modifying the file $PGDATA/pg_hba
accordingly.
3.9) How do I set up a pg_group?
Currently, there is no easy interface to set up user groups. You have
to explicitly insert/update the pg_group table. For example:
jolly=> insert into pg_group (groname, grosysid, grolist)
jolly=> values ('posthackers', '1234', '{5443, 8261}');
INSERT 548224
jolly=> grant insert on foo to group posthackers;
CHANGE
jolly=>
The fields in pg_group are:
* groname: the group name. This a char16 and should be purely
alphanumeric. Do not include underscores or other punctuation.
* grosysid: the group id. This is an int4. This should be unique for
each group.
* grolist: the list of pg_user id's that belong in the group. This
is an int4[].
3.10) What is the exact difference between binary cursors and normal cursors?
Normal cursors return data back in ASCII format. Since data is stored
natively in binary format, the system must do a conversion to produce
the ASCII format. In addition, ASCII formats are often large in size
than binary format. Once the attributes come back in ASCII, often the
client application then has to convert it to a binary format to
manipulate it anyway.
Binary cursors give you back the data in the native binary
representation. Thus, binary cursors will tend to be a little faster
since there's less overhead of conversion.
However, ASCII is architectural neutral whereas binary representation
can differ between different machine architecture. Thus, if your
client machine uses a different representation than you server
machine, getting back attributes in binary format is probably not what
you want. Also, if your main purpose is displaying the data in ASCII,
then getting it back in ASCII will save you some effort on the client
side.
3.11) Why doesn't the != operator work?
SQL specifies <> as the inequality operator, and that is what we have
defined for the built-in types.
In 6.0, != is equivalent to <>.
3.12) What is a R-tree index and what is it used for?
An r-tree index is used for indexing spatial data. A hash index can't
handle range searches. A B-tree index only handles range searches in a
single dimension. R-tree's can handle multi-dimensional data. For
example, if a R-tree index can be built on an attribute of type
'point', the system can more efficient answer queries like select all
points within a bounding rectangle.
The canonical paper that describes the original R-Tree design is:
Guttman, A. "R-Trees: A Dynamic Index Structure for Spatial
Searching." Proc of the 1984 ACM SIGMOD Int'l Conf on Mgmt of Data,
45-57.
You can also find this paper in Stonebraker's "Readings in Database
Systems"
3.13) What is the maximum size for a tuple?
Tuples are limited to 8K bytes. Taking into account system attributes
and other overhead, one should stay well shy of 8,000 bytes to be on
the safe side. To use attributes larger than 8K, try using the large
objects interface.
Tuples do not cross 8k boundaries so a 5k tuple will require 8k of
storage.
3.14) I defined indices but my queries don't seem to make use of them. Why?
PostgreSQL does not automatically maintain statistics. One has to make
an explicit 'vacuum' call to update the statistics. After statistics
are updated, the optimizer has a better shot at using indices. Note
that the optimizer is limited and does not use indices in some
circumstances (such as OR clauses).
If the system still does not see the index, it is probably because you
have created an index on a field with the improper *_ops type. For
example, you have created a CHAR(4) field, but have specified a
char_ops index type_class.
See the create_index manual page for information on what type classes
are available. It must match the field type.
Postgres does not warn the user when the improper index is created.
Indexes not used for ORDER BY operations.
3.15) Are there ODBC drivers for PostgreSQL?
There are two ODBC drivers available, PostODBC and OpenLink ODBC.
For all people being interested in PostODBC, there are now two mailing
lists devoted to the discussion of PostODBC. The mailing lists are:
* postodbc-users@listserv.direct. net
* postodbc-developers@listse rv.direct.net
these lists are ordinary majordomo mailing lists. You can subscribe by
sending a mail to:
* majordomo@listserv.direct.net
OpenLink ODBC is currently in beta under Linux. You can get it from
http://www.openlinksw.com/postgres.html. It works with our standard
ODBC client software so you'll have Postgres ODBC available on every
client platform we support (Win, Mac, Unix, VMS).
We will probably be selling this product to people who need
commercial-quality support, but a freeware version will always be
available. Questions to postgres95@openlink.co.uk.
3.16) How do I use postgres for multi-dimensional indexing (> 2 dimensions)?
Builtin R-Trees can handle polygons and boxes. In theory, R-trees can
be extended to handle higher number of dimensions. In practice,
extending R-trees require a bit of work and we don't currently have
any documentation on how to do it.
3.17) How do I do regular expression searches? case-insensitive regexp
searching?
PostgreSQL supports the SQL LIKE syntax as well as more general
regular expression searching with the ~ operator. The !~ is the
negated regexp operator. ~* and !~* are the case-insensitive regular
expression operators.
3.18) I can't access the database as the 'root' user.
You should not create database users with user id 0(root). They will
be unable to access the database. This is a security precaution
because of the ability of any user to dynamically link object modules
into the database engine.
3.19) I experienced a server crash during a vacuum. How do I remove the lock
file?
If the server crashes during a vacuum command, chances are it will
leave a lock file hanging around. Attempts to re-run the vacuum
command result in
WARN:can't create lock file -- another vacuum cleaner running?
If you are sure that no vacuum is actually running, you can remove the
file called "pg_vlock" in your database directory (which is
$PGDATA/base/<dbName>)
3.20) What is the difference between the various character types?
Type Internal Name Notes Type Internal Name Notes
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------
CHAR char 1 character } CHAR char 1 character }
...@@ -676,368 +591,322 @@ CHAR(#) bpchar blank padded to the specified fixed length ...@@ -676,368 +591,322 @@ CHAR(#) bpchar blank padded to the specified fixed length
VARCHAR(#) varchar size specifies maximum length, no padding VARCHAR(#) varchar size specifies maximum length, no padding
TEXT text length limited only by maximum tuple length TEXT text length limited only by maximum tuple length
BYTEA bytea variable-length array of bytes BYTEA bytea variable-length array of bytes
</PRE>
<P>
Remember, you need to use the internal name when creating indexes on
these fields or when doing other internal operations.
<P>
The last four types above are "varlena" types (i.e. the first four bytes
is the length, followed by the data). CHAR(#) and VARCHAR(#) allocate
the maximum number of bytes no matter how much data is stored in the
field. TEXT and BYTEA are the only character types that have variable
length on the disk.
<P>
<H3><a name="3.21">3.21</a>) In a query, how do I detect if a field is NULL?</H3>
<P>
PostgreSQL has two builtin keywords, "isnull" and "notnull" (note no
spaces). Version 1.05 and later and 6.* understand IS NULL and IS NOT
NULL.
<P>
<H3><a name="3.22">3.22</a>) How do I see how the query optimizer is
evaluating my query?</H3>
<P>
Place the word 'EXPLAIN' at the beginning of the query, for example:
<PRE>
<CODE>
EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM table1 WHERE age = 23;
</CODE>
</PRE>
<P>
<H3><a name="3.23">3.23</a>) How do I create a serial field?</H3>
<P>
Postgres does not allow the user to specifiy a user column as type
SERIAL. Instead, you can use each row's oid field as a unique value.
However, if you need to dump and reload the database, you need to be
using postgres version 1.07 or later or 6.* with pgdump's -o option or
COPY's WITH OIDS option to preserver the oids.
<P>
Another valid way of doing this is to create a function:
<PRE>
<CODE>
create table my_oids (f1 int4);
insert into my_oids values (1);
create function new_oid () returns int4 as
'update my_oids set f1 = f1 + 1; select f1 from my_oids; '
language 'sql';
</CODE>
</PRE>
<P>
then:
<PRE>
<CODE>
create table my_stuff (my_key int4, value text);
insert into my_stuff values (new_oid(), 'hello');
</CODE>
</PRE>
<P>
However, keep in mind there is a race condition here where one server
could do the update, then another one do an update, and they both could
select the same new id. This statement should be performed within a
transaction.
<P>
Sequences are implemented in 6.1
<P>
<H3><a name="3.24">3.24</a>) How do I create a multi-column index?</H3>
<P>
In 6.0, you can not directly create a multi-column index using create Remember, you need to use the internal name when creating indexes on
index. You need to define a function which acts on the multiple columns, these fields or when doing other internal operations.
then use create index with that function.
<P> The last four types above are "varlena" types (i.e. the first four
In 6.1, this feature is available. bytes is the length, followed by the data). CHAR(#) and VARCHAR(#)
<P> allocate the maximum number of bytes no matter how much data is stored
<H3><a name="3.25">3.25</a>) What are the temp_XXX files in my database in the field. TEXT and BYTEA are the only character types that have
directory?</H3> variable length on the disk.
<P>
They are temp_ files generated by the query executor. For example, if a 3.21) In a query, how do I detect if a field is NULL?
sort needs to be done to satisfy an ORDER BY, some temp files are
generated as a result of the sort. PostgreSQL has two builtin keywords, "isnull" and "notnull" (note no
<P> spaces). Version 1.05 and later and 6.* understand IS NULL and IS NOT
If you have no transactions or sorts running at the time, it is safe to NULL.
delete the temp_ files.
<P> 3.22) How do I see how the query optimizer is evaluating my query?
<H3><a name="3.26">3.26</a>) Why are my table files not getting any
smaller after a delete?</H3> Place the word 'EXPLAIN' at the beginning of the query, for example:
<P>
If you run vacuum in pre-6.0, unused rows will be marked for reuse, but EXPLAIN SELECT * FROM table1 WHERE age = 23;
the file blocks are not released.
<P> 3.23) How do I create a serial field?
In 6.0, vacuum properly shrinks tables.
<P> Postgres does not allow the user to specifiy a user column as type
<H3><a name="3.27">3.27</a>) Why can't I connect to my database from SERIAL. Instead, you can use each row's oid field as a unique value.
another machine?</H3> However, if you need to dump and reload the database, you need to be
<P> using postgres version 1.07 or later or 6.* with pgdump's -o option or
The default configuration allows only connections from tcp/ip host COPY's WITH OIDS option to preserver the oids.
localhost. You need to add a host entry to the file pgsql/data/pg_hba.
<P> Another valid way of doing this is to create a function:
<H3><a name="3.28">3.28</a>) I get the error 'default index class
unsupported' when creating an index. How do I do it?</H3> create table my_oids (f1 int4);
<P> insert into my_oids values (1);
You probably used: create function new_oid () returns int4 as
<PRE> 'update my_oids set f1 = f1 + 1; select f1 from my_oids; '
<CODE> language 'sql';
create index idx1 on person using btree (name);
</CODE> then:
</PRE>
<P> create table my_stuff (my_key int4, value text);
PostgreSQL indexes are extensible, and therefore in pre-6.0, you must insert into my_stuff values (new_oid(), 'hello');
specify a class_type when creating an index. Read the manual page for
create index (called create_index). However, keep in mind there is a race condition here where one server
<P> could do the update, then another one do an update, and they both
Version 6.0, if you do not specify a class_type, it defaults to the could select the same new id. This statement should be performed
proper type for the column. within a transaction.
<P>
<H3><a name="3.29">3.29</a>) Why does creating an index crash the Sequences were implemented in 6.1
backend server?</H3>
<P> 3.24) How do I create a multi-column index?
You have probably defined an incorrect *_ops type class for the field
you are indexing. In 6.0, you can not directly create a multi-column index using create
<P> index. You need to define a function which acts on the multiple
<H3><a name="3.30">3.30</a>) How do I find out what indexes or columns, then use create index with that function.
operations are defined in the database?</H3>
<P> In 6.1, this feature is available.
Run the file pgsql/src/tutorial/syscat.source. It illustrates many of
the 'select's needed to get information out of the database system 3.25) What are the temp_XXX files in my database directory?
tables.
<P> They are temp_ files generated by the query executor. For example, if
<H3><a name="3.31">3.31</a>) Why do statements require an extra character at a sort needs to be done to satisfy an ORDER BY, some temp files are
the end? Why does 'createuser' return 'unexpected last match in input()'? generated as a result of the sort.
Why does pg_dump fail?</H3>
<P> If you have no transactions or sorts running at the time, it is safe
You have compile postgres with flex version 2.5.3. There is bug in this to delete the temp_ files.
version of flex. Use flex version 2.5.2 or flex 2.5.4 instead. There
is a doc/README.flex file which will properly patch the flex 2.5.3 3.26) Why are my table files not getting any smaller after a delete?
source code.
<P> If you run vacuum in pre-6.0, unused rows will be marked for reuse,
<H3><a name="3.32">3.32</a>) All my servers crash under concurrent table but the file blocks are not released.
access. Why?</H3>
<P> In 6.0, vacuum properly shrinks tables.
This problem can be caused by a kernel that is not configured to support
semaphores. 3.27) Why can't I connect to my database from another machine?
<P>
<H3><a name="3.33">3.33</a>) What tools are available for hooking The default configuration allows only connections from tcp/ip host
postgres to Web pages?</H3> localhost. You need to add a host entry to the file pgsql/data/pg_hba.
<P>
For web integration, PHP/FI is an excellent interface. The URL for that 3.28) I get the error 'default index class unsupported' when creating an
is <a href="http://www.vex.net/php/">http://www.vex.net/php/</a> index. How do I do it?
<P>
PHP is great for simple stuff, but for more complex stuff, some still You probably used:
use the perl interface and CGI.pm.
<P> create index idx1 on person using btree (name);
An example of using WWW with C to talk to Postgres is can be tried at:
<UL> PostgreSQL indexes are extensible, and therefore in pre-6.0, you must
<LI> specify a class_type when creating an index. Read the manual page for
<a href="http://postgreSQL.org/%7Emlc">http://postgreSQL.org/~mlc</a> create index (called create_index).
</UL>
<P> Version 6.0, if you do not specify a class_type, it defaults to the
An WWW gatway based on WDB using perl can be downloaded from: proper type for the column.
<UL>
<LI> 3.29) Why does creating an index crash the backend server?
<a
href="http://www.eol.ists.ca/~dunlop/wdb-p95">http://www.eol.ists.ca/~dunlop/wdb You have probably defined an incorrect *_ops type class for the field
-p95</a> you are indexing.
</UL>
<H3><a name="3.34">3.34</a>) What is the time-warp feature and how does 3.30) How do I find out what indexes or operations are defined in the
it relate to vacuum?</H3> database?
<P>
PostgreSQL handles data changes differently than most database systems. Run the file pgsql/src/tutorial/syscat.source. It illustrates many of
When a row is changed in a table, the original row is marked with the the 'select's needed to get information out of the database system
time it was changed, and a new row is created with the current data. By tables.
default, only current rows are used in a table. If you specify a
date/time after the table name in a FROM clause, you can access the data 3.31) Why do statements require an extra character at the end? Why does
that was current at that time, i.e. 'createuser' return 'unexpected last match in input()'? Why does pg_dump
<PRE> fail?
<CODE>
SELECT * You have compile postgres with flex version 2.5.3. There is bug in
FROM employees ['July 24, 1996 09:00:00'] this version of flex. Use flex version 2.5.2 or flex 2.5.4 instead.
</CODE> There is a doc/README.flex file which will properly patch the flex
</PRE> 2.5.3 source code.
<P>
displays employee rows in the table at the specified time. You can 3.32) All my servers crash under concurrent table access. Why?
specify intervals like [date,date], [date,], [,date], or [,]. This last
option accesses all rows that ever existed. This problem can be caused by a kernel that is not configured to
<P> support semaphores.
INSERTed rows get a timestamp too, so rows that were not in the table at
the desired time will not appear. 3.33) What tools are available for hooking postgres to Web pages?
<P>
Vacuum removes rows that are no longer current. This time-warp feature For web integration, PHP/FI is an excellent interface. The URL for
is used by the engine for rollback and crash recovery. Expiration times that is http://www.vex.net/php/
can be set with purge.
<P> PHP is great for simple stuff, but for more complex stuff, some still
In 6.0, once a table is vacuumed, the creation time of a row may be use the perl interface and CGI.pm.
incorrect, causing time-traval to fail.
<P> An example of using WWW with C to talk to Postgres is can be tried at:
The time-travel feature will be removed in 7.0. * http://postgreSQL.org/~mlc
<P>
<H3><a name="3.35">3.35</a>) How do I tune the database engine for An WWW gatway based on WDB using perl can be downloaded from:
better performance?</H3> * http://www.eol.ists.ca/~dunlop/wdb -p95
<P>
There are two things that can be done. You can use Openlink's option to 3.34) What is the time-warp feature and how does it relate to vacuum?
disable fsync() by starting the postmaster with a '-o -F' option. This
will prevent fsync()'s from flushing to disk after every transaction. PostgreSQL handles data changes differently than most database
<P> systems. When a row is changed in a table, the original row is marked
You can also use the postmaster -B option to increase the number of with the time it was changed, and a new row is created with the
shared memory buffers shared among the backend processes. If you make current data. By default, only current rows are used in a table. If
this parameter too high, the process will not start or crash you specify a date/time after the table name in a FROM clause, you can
unexpectedly. Each buffer is 8K and the defualt is 64 buffers. access the data that was current at that time, i.e.
<P>
<H3><a name="3.36">3.36</a>) What debugging features are available in
PostgreSQL?</H3> SELECT *
<P> FROM employees ['July 24, 1996 09:00:00']
PostgreSQL has several features that report status information that can
be valuable for debugging purposes. displays employee rows in the table at the specified time. You can
<P> specify intervals like [date,date], [date,], [,date], or [,]. This
First, by compiling with DEBUG defined, many assert()'s monitor the last option accesses all rows that ever existed.
progress of the backend and halt the program when something unexpected
occurs. INSERTed rows get a timestamp too, so rows that were not in the table
<P> at the desired time will not appear.
Both postmaster and postgres have several debug options available.
First, whenever you start the postmaster, make sure you send the Vacuum removes rows that are no longer current. This time-warp feature
standard output and error to a log file, like: is used by the engine for rollback and crash recovery. Expiration
<PRE> times can be set with purge.
<KBD>
cd /usr/local/pgsql In 6.0, once a table is vacuumed, the creation time of a row may be
./bin/postmaster &gt;server.log 2&gt;&1 & incorrect, causing time-traval to fail.
</KBD>
</PRE> The time-travel feature will be removed in 7.0.
<P>
This will put a server.log file in the top-level PostgreSQL directory. 3.35) How do I tune the database engine for better performance?
This file can contain useful information about problems or errors
encountered by the server. Postmaster has a -d option that allows even There are two things that can be done. You can use Openlink's option
more detailed information to be reported. The -d option takes a number to disable fsync() by starting the postmaster with a '-o -F' option.
1-3 that specifies the debug level. The query plans in a verbose debug This will prevent fsync()'s from flushing to disk after every
file can be formatted using the 'indent' program. (You may need to transaction.
remove the '====' lines in 1.* releases.) Be warned that a debug level
greater than one generates large log files in 1.* releases. You can also use the postmaster -B option to increase the number of
<P> shared memory buffers shared among the backend processes. If you make
You can actuall run the postgres backend from the command line, and type this parameter too high, the process will not start or crash
your SQL statement directly. This is recommended ONLY for debugging unexpectedly. Each buffer is 8K and the defualt is 64 buffers.
purposes. Note that a newline terminates the query, not a semicolon. If
you have compiled with debugging symbols, you can perhaps use a debugger 3.36) What debugging features are available in PostgreSQL?
to see what is happening. Because the backend was not started from the
postmaster, it is not running in an identical environment and PostgreSQL has several features that report status information that
locking/backend interaction problems may not be duplicated. Some can be valuable for debugging purposes.
operating system can attach to a running backend directly to diagnose
problems. First, by compiling with DEBUG defined, many assert()'s monitor the
<P> progress of the backend and halt the program when something unexpected
The postgres program has a -s, -A, -t options that can be very usefull occurs.
for debugging and performance measurements.
<P> Both postmaster and postgres have several debug options available.
The EXPLAIN command (see this FAQ) allows you to see how PostgreSQL is First, whenever you start the postmaster, make sure you send the
iterpreting your query. standard output and error to a log file, like:
<P>
<H3><a name="3.37">3.37</a>) What is an oid? What is a tid?</H3>
<P> cd /usr/local/pgsql
Oids are Postgres's answer to unique row ids or serial columns. Every ./bin/postmaster >server.log 2>&1 &
row that is created in Postgres gets a unique oid. All oids generated
by initdb are less than 16384 (from backend/access/transam.h). All This will put a server.log file in the top-level PostgreSQL directory.
post-initdb (user-created) oids are equal or greater that this. All This file can contain useful information about problems or errors
these oids are unique not only within a table, or database, but unique encountered by the server. Postmaster has a -d option that allows even
within the entire postgres installation. more detailed information to be reported. The -d option takes a number
<P> 1-3 that specifies the debug level. The query plans in a verbose debug
Postgres uses oids in its internal system tables to link rows in file can be formatted using the 'indent' program. (You may need to
separate tables. These oids can be used to identify specific user rows remove the '====' lines in 1.* releases.) Be warned that a debug level
and used in joins. It is recommended you use column type oid to store greater than one generates large log files in 1.* releases.
oid values. See the sql(l) manual page to see the other internal
columns. You can actuall run the postgres backend from the command line, and
<P> type your SQL statement directly. This is recommended ONLY for
Tids are used to indentify specific physical rows with block and offset debugging purposes. Note that a newline terminates the query, not a
values. Tids change after rows are modified or reloaded. They are used semicolon. If you have compiled with debugging symbols, you can
by index entries to point to physical rows. They can not be accessed perhaps use a debugger to see what is happening. Because the backend
through sql. was not started from the postmaster, it is not running in an identical
<P> environment and locking/backend interaction problems may not be
<H3><a name="3.38">3.38</a>) What is the meaning of some of the terms duplicated. Some operating system can attach to a running backend
used in Postgres?</H3> directly to diagnose problems.
<P>
Some of the source code and older documentation use terms that have more The postgres program has a -s, -A, -t options that can be very usefull
common usage. Here are some: for debugging and performance measurements.
<UL>
<LI> row, record, tuple The EXPLAIN command (see this FAQ) allows you to see how PostgreSQL is
<LI> attribute, field, column iterpreting your query.
<LI> table, class
<LI> retrieve, select 3.37) What is an oid? What is a tid?
<LI> replace, update
<LI> append, insert Oids are Postgres's answer to unique row ids or serial columns. Every
<LI> oid, serial value row that is created in Postgres gets a unique oid. All oids generated
<LI> portal, cursor by initdb are less than 16384 (from backend/access/transam.h). All
<LI> range variable, table name, table alias post-initdb (user-created) oids are equal or greater that this. All
</UL> these oids are unique not only within a table, or database, but unique
<P> within the entire postgres installation.
Please let me know if you think of any more.
<P> Postgres uses oids in its internal system tables to link rows in
<H3><a name="3.39">3.39</a>) What is Genetic Query Optimization?</H3> separate tables. These oids can be used to identify specific user rows
<P> and used in joins. It is recommended you use column type oid to store
The GEQO module in PostgreSQL is intended to solve the query oid values. See the sql(l) manual page to see the other internal
optimization problem of joining many tables by means of a Genetic columns.
Algorithm (GA). It allows the handling of large join queries through
non-exhaustive search. Tids are used to indentify specific physical rows with block and
<P> offset values. Tids change after rows are modified or reloaded. They
For further information see README.GEQO &lt;utesch@aut.tu-freiberg.de&gt;. are used by index entries to point to physical rows. They can not be
<P> accessed through sql.
<H3><a name="3.40">3.40</a>) I am running Solaris and my dates
display wrong. Why?</H3> 3.38) What is the meaning of some of the terms used in Postgres?
<P>
There was a bug in 6.0 that caused this problem under Solaris with -O2 Some of the source code and older documentation use terms that have
optimization. more common usage. Here are some:
Upgrade to 6.1. * row, record, tuple
<P> * attribute, field, column
<H3><a name="3.41">3.41</a>) How do I enable more than 32 concurrent * table, class
backends?</H3> * retrieve, select
<P> * replace, update
Edit include/storage/sinvaladt.h, and change the value of MaxBackendId. * append, insert
In the future, we plan to make this a configurable prameter. * oid, serial value
<P> * portal, cursor
<HR> * range variable, table name, table alias
<H2> Section 4: Extending PostgreSQL
</H2> Please let me know if you think of any more.
<P>
<H3><a name="4.1">4.1</a>) I wrote a user-defined function and when I run it 3.39) What is Genetic Query Optimization?
in psql, it dumps core.</H3>
<P> The GEQO module in PostgreSQL is intended to solve the query
The problem could be a number of things. Try testing your user-defined optimization problem of joining many tables by means of a Genetic
function in a stand alone test program first. Also, make sure you are Algorithm (GA). It allows the handling of large join queries through
not sending elog NOTICES when the front-end is expecting data, such as non-exhaustive search.
during a type_in() or type_out() functions
<P> For further information see README.GEQO <utesch@aut.tu-freiberg.de>.
<H3><a name="4.2">4.2</a>) I get messages of the type
NOTICE:PortalHeapMemoryFree: 0x402251d0 not in alloc set!</H3> 3.40) I am running Solaris and my dates display wrong. Why?
<P>
You are pfree'ing something that was not palloc'ed. When writing There was a bug in 6.0 that caused this problem under Solaris with -O2
user-defined functions, do not include the file "libpq-fe.h". Doing so optimization. Upgrade to 6.1.1.
will cause your palloc to be a malloc instead of a free. Then, when the
backend pfrees the storage, you get the notice message. 3.41) How do I enable more than 32 concurrent backends?
<P>
<H3><a name="4.3">4.3</a>) I've written some nifty new types and functions for Edit include/storage/sinvaladt.h, and change the value of
PostgreSQL.</H3> MaxBackendId. In the future, we plan to make this a configurable
<P> prameter.
Please share them with other PostgreSQL users. Send your extensions to
mailing list, and they will eventually end up in the contrib/ _________________________________________________________________
subdirectory.
<P> Section 4: Extending PostgreSQL
<H3><a name="4.4">4.4</a>) How do I write a C function to return a tuple?</H3>
<P> 4.1) I wrote a user-defined function and when I run it in psql, it dumps
This requires extreme wizardry, so extreme that the authors have not core.
ever tried it, though in principle it can be done. The short answer is
... you can't. This capability is forthcoming in the future. The problem could be a number of things. Try testing your user-defined
<P> function in a stand alone test program first. Also, make sure you are
<HR> not sending elog NOTICES when the front-end is expecting data, such as
<H2> Section 5: Bugs during a type_in() or type_out() functions
</H2>
<P> 4.2) I get messages of the type NOTICE:PortalHeapMemoryFree: 0x402251d0 not
<H3><a name="5.1">5.1</a>) How do I make a bug report?</H3> in alloc set!
<P>
Check the current FAQ at <a You are pfree'ing something that was not palloc'ed. When writing
href="http://postgreSQL.org">http://postgreSQL.org</a> user-defined functions, do not include the file "libpq-fe.h". Doing so
<P> will cause your palloc to be a malloc instead of a free. Then, when
Also check out our ftp site <a the backend pfrees the storage, you get the notice message.
href="ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub">ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub</a> to
see if there is a more recent PostgreSQL version. 4.3) I've written some nifty new types and functions for PostgreSQL.
<P>
You can also fill out the "bug-template" file and send it to: Please share them with other PostgreSQL users. Send your extensions to
<UL> mailing list, and they will eventually end up in the contrib/
<LI> <a href="mailto:bugs@postgreSQL.org">bugs@postgreSQL.org</a> subdirectory.
</UL>
<P> 4.4) How do I write a C function to return a tuple?
This is the address of the developers mailing list.
</BODY> This requires extreme wizardry, so extreme that the authors have not
</HTML> ever tried it, though in principle it can be done. The short answer is
... you can't. This capability is forthcoming in the future.
_________________________________________________________________
Section 5: Bugs
5.1) How do I make a bug report?
Check the current FAQ at http://postgreSQL.org
Also check out our ftp site ftp://ftp.postgreSQL.org/pub to see if
there is a more recent PostgreSQL version.
You can also fill out the "bug-template" file and send it to:
* bugs@postgreSQL.org
This is the address of the developers mailing list.
==================================================== ====================================================
TODO list (FAQ) for PostgreSQL TODO list (FAQ) for PostgreSQL
==================================================== ====================================================
last updated: Tue Jun 3 16:30:57 EDT 1997 last updated: Sun Jul 13 15:18:19 EDT 1997
current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (maillist@candle.pha.pa.us) current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (maillist@candle.pha.pa.us)
The most recent version of this document can be viewed at The most recent version of this document can be viewed at
the postgreSQL WWW site, http://www.postgreSQL.org. the postgreSQL WWW site, http://www.postgreSQL.org.
THE CHANGES FOR 6.1 APPEAR AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT THE CHANGES FOR 6.1 and 6.1.1 APPEAR AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT
Developers who have claimed items are: Developers who have claimed items are:
Bruce is Bruce Momjian<maillist@candle.pha.pa.us> Bruce is Bruce Momjian<maillist@candle.pha.pa.us>
...@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Developers who have claimed items are: ...@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Developers who have claimed items are:
Darren is Darren King <darrenk@insightdist.com> Darren is Darren King <darrenk@insightdist.com>
Edmund is Edmund Mergl <E.Mergl@bawue.de> Edmund is Edmund Mergl <E.Mergl@bawue.de>
Erich Stamberger <eberger@gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at> Erich Stamberger <eberger@gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at>
Gerhard is Gerhard Reithofer <gerhardr@tech-edv.co.at>
Igor is Igor <igor@sba.miami.edu> Igor is Igor <igor@sba.miami.edu>
Jun is Jun Kuwamura <juk@rccm.co.jp> Jun is Jun Kuwamura <juk@rccm.co.jp>
Kurt is "Kurt J. Lidl" <lidl@va.pubnix.com> Kurt is "Kurt J. Lidl" <lidl@va.pubnix.com>
...@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ Developers who have claimed items are: ...@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ Developers who have claimed items are:
Soo-Ho Ok <shok@detc.dongeui-tc.ac.kr> Soo-Ho Ok <shok@detc.dongeui-tc.ac.kr>
Stefan Simkovics <ssimkovi@rainbow.studorg.tuwien.ac.at> Stefan Simkovics <ssimkovi@rainbow.studorg.tuwien.ac.at>
Sven is Sven Verdoolaege <skimo@breughel.ufsia.ac.be> Sven is Sven Verdoolaege <skimo@breughel.ufsia.ac.be>
Tatsuo is Tatsuo Ishii <t-ishii@sra.co.jp>
Thomas is Thomas Lockhart <tgl@mythos.jpl.nasa.gov> Thomas is Thomas Lockhart <tgl@mythos.jpl.nasa.gov>
Vadim is "Vadim B. Mikheev" <vadim@sable.krasnoyarsk.su> Vadim is "Vadim B. Mikheev" <vadim@sable.krasnoyarsk.su>
Vivek is Vivek Khera <khera@kci.kciLink.com> Vivek is Vivek Khera <khera@kci.kciLink.com>
...@@ -42,8 +44,6 @@ Fix all NULL features ...@@ -42,8 +44,6 @@ Fix all NULL features
allow psql to print nulls meaningfully allow psql to print nulls meaningfully
Fix compile and security of Kerberos/GSSAPI code (Daniel Kalchev?) Fix compile and security of Kerberos/GSSAPI code (Daniel Kalchev?)
Dropping a table twice causes corruption, drop/create not rollback-able Dropping a table twice causes corruption, drop/create not rollback-able
SELECT on two tables where zero or one table in WHERE and target
clause returns no rows
COUNT on VIEW always returns zero (maybe because there is no oid for views?) COUNT on VIEW always returns zero (maybe because there is no oid for views?)
CREATE VIEW requires super-user priviledge CREATE VIEW requires super-user priviledge
SELECT a[1] FROM test fails, it needs test.a[1] SELECT a[1] FROM test fails, it needs test.a[1]
...@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ can lo_export()/lo_import() read/write anywhere, causing a security problem? ...@@ -53,6 +53,9 @@ can lo_export()/lo_import() read/write anywhere, causing a security problem?
Fix UPDATE key_table SET keyval=max(reftab.NUM)+1 WHERE tblname='reftab' Fix UPDATE key_table SET keyval=max(reftab.NUM)+1 WHERE tblname='reftab'
SELECT COUNT(*) FROM TAB1, TAB2 fails SELECT COUNT(*) FROM TAB1, TAB2 fails
Tables that start with xinv confused to be large objects Tables that start with xinv confused to be large objects
Two and three dimmensional arrays display improperly, missing {}
Add GROUP BY and HAVING to INSERT INTO table SELECT * FROM table2
Make timestamp type recognize DateStyle(Tom)
ENHANCEMENTS ENHANCEMENTS
------------ ------------
...@@ -115,7 +118,6 @@ Remove stale files upon startup(Vivek) ...@@ -115,7 +118,6 @@ Remove stale files upon startup(Vivek)
Add command to show privileges Add command to show privileges
Allow INSERT INTO ... SELECT to convert column types Allow INSERT INTO ... SELECT to convert column types
Add syslog functionality Add syslog functionality
Improve optimizer plan choice(Darren)
Add STDDEV/VARIANCE() function for standard deviation computation/variance Add STDDEV/VARIANCE() function for standard deviation computation/variance
Add table/column/function discription table indexed by oid Add table/column/function discription table indexed by oid
add pg_type attribute to identify types that need length (bpchar, varchar) add pg_type attribute to identify types that need length (bpchar, varchar)
...@@ -124,6 +126,8 @@ make pg_dumpall preserve table ownership, not just database ownership ...@@ -124,6 +126,8 @@ make pg_dumpall preserve table ownership, not just database ownership
make large objects have their own reltype make large objects have their own reltype
make number of backends a config parameter, storage/sinvaladt.h:MaxBackendId make number of backends a config parameter, storage/sinvaladt.h:MaxBackendId
certain indexes will not shrink, i.e. oid indexes with many inserts certain indexes will not shrink, i.e. oid indexes with many inserts
make NULL's come out at the beginning or end depending on the ORDER BY direction
change the library/backend interface to use network byte order
PERFORMANCE PERFORMANCE
----------- -----------
...@@ -150,11 +154,38 @@ Update usermanual source(many) ...@@ -150,11 +154,38 @@ Update usermanual source(many)
remove time-travel in documentation(Bruce) remove time-travel in documentation(Bruce)
added features used in grammer but not in docs, like :: and CAST added features used in grammer but not in docs, like :: and CAST
add DECLARE manual page add DECLARE manual page
update libpq++ manual page
PORTABILITY PORTABILITY
----------- -----------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN THE 6.1.1 RELEASE
Changes in this release
-----------------------
fix for SET with options (Thomas)
fix month boundary arithmetic(Thomas)
fix timezone daylight handling for some ports(Thomas)
allow pg_dump/pg_dumpall to preserve ownership of all tables/objects(Bruce)
new psql \connect option allows changing usernames without chaning databases
fix for datetime arithmetic over month boundaries(Thomas)
fix for initdb --debug option(Tatsuo)
lextest cleanup(Bruce)
hash fixes(Vadim)
psql's \d now case-insensitive(Bruce)
psql's backslash commands can now have trailing semicolon(Bruce)
fix memory leak in psql when using \g(Bruce)
major fix for endian handling of communication to server(Thomas, Tatsuo)
improvements in datetime and timespan routines(Thomas)
timestamp overhauled to use standard functions(Thomas)
Fix for Solaris assembler and include files(Yoshihiko Ichikawa)
allow underscores in usernames(Bruce)
pg_dumpall now returns proper status, portability fix(Bruce)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES IN THE 6.1 RELEASE CHANGES IN THE 6.1 RELEASE
...@@ -188,6 +219,8 @@ fix btree duplicates handling (Vadim) ...@@ -188,6 +219,8 @@ fix btree duplicates handling (Vadim)
fix deleted tuples re-incarnation caused by vacuum (Vadim) fix deleted tuples re-incarnation caused by vacuum (Vadim)
fix SELECT varchar()/char() INTO TABLE made zero-length fields(Bruce) fix SELECT varchar()/char() INTO TABLE made zero-length fields(Bruce)
many psql, pg_dump, and libpq memory leaks fixed using Purify (Igor) many psql, pg_dump, and libpq memory leaks fixed using Purify (Igor)
SELECT on two tables where zero or one table in WHERE and target
clause returns no rows(Vadim)
Enhancements Enhancements
------------ ------------
...@@ -235,6 +268,7 @@ new destroydb -i option (Igor) ...@@ -235,6 +268,7 @@ new destroydb -i option (Igor)
new \dt and \di psql commands (Darren) new \dt and \di psql commands (Darren)
SELECT "\n" now escapes newline (A. Duursma) SELECT "\n" now escapes newline (A. Duursma)
new geometry conversion functions from old format (Thomas) new geometry conversion functions from old format (Thomas)
Improve optimizer plan choice(Vadim)
Source tree changes Source tree changes
------------------- -------------------
......
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