BUG #5365: pg_ctl start gives error

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:19 AM, Savita <savita.halli@gmail.com> wrote:

The following bug has been logged online:

Bug reference:      5365
Logged by:          Savita
Email address:      savita.halli@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 8.3.5
Operating system:   SunOS 5.10 Generic_139555-08 sun4u sparc
SUNW,Sun-Fire-V440
Description:        pg_ctl start gives error
Details:

Hi

I have installed postgres in Solaris machine and trying to start the service
and it fails with follwoing error

FATAL:  syntax error in file "../../pgsql/data/postgresql.conf" line 107,
near token "MB"

By seeing the error I thought the problem could be with postgresql.conf
file. But I copied this file from other machine(SunOS 5.10 Generic_118833-33
sun4v sparc sun4v) where postgres start/stop works fine still gives the same
error in this box.

Is it something to do with version of SunOS?

I doubt it. postgresql.conf should be parsed identically on any
platform, I would think.

...Robert

On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 2:13 PM, Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> wrote:

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:19 AM, Savita <savita.halli@gmail.com> wrote:

The following bug has been logged online:

Bug reference: 5365
Logged by: Savita
Email address: savita.halli@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 8.3.5
Operating system: SunOS 5.10 Generic_139555-08 sun4u sparc
SUNW,Sun-Fire-V440
Description: pg_ctl start gives error
Details:

Hi

I have installed postgres in Solaris machine and trying to start the

service

and it fails with follwoing error

FATAL: syntax error in file "../../pgsql/data/postgresql.conf" line 107,
near token "MB"

By seeing the error I thought the problem could be with postgresql.conf
file. But I copied this file from other machine(SunOS 5.10

Generic_118833-33

sun4v sparc sun4v) where postgres start/stop works fine still gives the

same

error in this box.

Is it something to do with version of SunOS?

I doubt it. postgresql.conf should be parsed identically on any
platform, I would think.

I've seen this when I accidentally use the wrong pg_ctl on a data directory

(i.e. my 8.1 pg_ctl is in the PATH and I use it to try and start an 8.3
cluster).

--Scott M

Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> writes:

On Mon, Mar 8, 2010 at 5:19 AM, Savita <savita.halli@gmail.com> wrote:

I have installed postgres in Solaris machine and trying to start the service
and it fails with follwoing error

FATAL: �syntax error in file "../../pgsql/data/postgresql.conf" line 107,
near token "MB"

Is it something to do with version of SunOS?

I doubt it. postgresql.conf should be parsed identically on any
platform, I would think.

The error message seems consistent with what would happen if you had, say,

shared_buffers = 100 MB

instead of the correct

shared_buffers = 100MB

but the former should fail the same way on any machine.

Scott Mead's suggestion of a PG version discrepancy is a possibility
though. Old PG versions might see 100MB as two tokens, which'd give
rise to that error.

The other thing that strikes me while I'm looking at it is that a
relative path to postgresql.conf seems like a great way to shoot
yourself in the foot, because the wrong things will happen if you try to
start the postmaster from the wrong directory. A good rule of thumb is
to always use an absolute path for -D or $PGDATA. In this case the
relative path might be a cause of picking up the wrong config file.

regards, tom lane