Relative path specified for data_directory is not working as expected

Eduard-Cristian Stefan wrote:

I have PostgreSQL 9.0.4-1 running as a service on Windows XP Home
Edition,
with the command line of the service being:

D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
"d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

In the postgresql.conf file I have the following settings:

data_directory = '../../data/PostgreSQL'
external_pid_file = '../../var/run/PostgreSQL.pid'
log_directory = '../../var/log/PostgreSQL'

In this configuration the PostgreSQL service fails to start with the
message:

FATAL: data directory "C:/WINDOWS/system32/../../data/PostgreSQL"
does not exist

If using an absolute path for data_directory like this:

data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'

then the service starts ok, with the curent directory of pg_ctl.exe
being C:\WINDOWS\system32\, while the pid file and the logs
are set to the desired location.

I can confirm this behavior by running postgres.exe from the console,
and for relative paths the data_directory is relative to the current
folder
from where postgres.exe is launched, and both external_pid_file and
log_directory
are relative to the directory specified with the -D option of the
command line.

For the record, there is no PGDATA environment variable defined.

Have a nice day,
Eduard

Can't the service script be something like
cd d:/me/data/PostgreSQL; ./pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
"d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 09:42, Rob Sargent <robjsargent@gmail.com> wrote:

Can't the service script be something like
  cd d:/me/data/PostgreSQL; ./pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D
"d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

Don't know about that, the service was installed by pg_ctl.
Still, if two relative paths are based on one folder and the other relative path
is based on another folder, I can call it a bug (or an undocumented feature).

Have a nice day,
 Eduard