mirror of
https://git.postgresql.org/git/postgresql.git
synced 2024-08-23 02:50:40 +02:00
139 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
139 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
<!--
|
|
$Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/notation.sgml,v 1.9 2000/04/07 13:30:58 thomas Exp $
|
|
-->
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="terminology">
|
|
<title>Terminology</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
In the following documentation,
|
|
<firstterm>site</firstterm>
|
|
may be interpreted as the host machine on which
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname> is installed.
|
|
Since it is possible to install more than one set of
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname>
|
|
databases on a single host, this term more precisely denotes any
|
|
particular set of installed
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname> binaries and databases.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
The
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname> <firstterm>superuser</firstterm>
|
|
is the user named <replaceable>postgres</replaceable>
|
|
who owns the <Productname>Postgres</Productname>
|
|
binaries and database files. As the database superuser, all
|
|
protection mechanisms may be bypassed and any data accessed
|
|
arbitrarily.
|
|
In addition, the <Productname>Postgres</Productname> superuser is
|
|
allowed to execute
|
|
some support programs which are generally not available to all users.
|
|
Note that the <Productname>Postgres</Productname> superuser is
|
|
<emphasis>not</emphasis>
|
|
the same as the Unix superuser (which will be referred to as
|
|
<firstterm>root</firstterm>).
|
|
The superuser should have a non-zero user identifier
|
|
(<firstterm>UID</firstterm>) for security reasons.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
The
|
|
<firstterm>database administrator</firstterm>
|
|
or <acronym>DBA</acronym>, is the person who is responsible for installing
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname> with mechanisms to
|
|
enforce a security policy for a site. The DBA can add new users by
|
|
the method described below
|
|
and maintain a set of template databases for use by
|
|
<application>createdb</application>.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
The <application>postmaster</application>
|
|
is the process that acts as a clearing-house for requests
|
|
to the <Productname>Postgres</Productname> system.
|
|
Frontend applications connect to the <application>postmaster</application>,
|
|
which keeps tracks of any system errors and communication between the
|
|
backend processes. The <application>postmaster</application>
|
|
can take several command-line arguments to tune its behavior.
|
|
However, supplying arguments is necessary only if you intend to run multiple
|
|
sites or a non-default site.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
The <Productname>Postgres</Productname> backend
|
|
(the actual executable program <application>postgres</application>) may be executed
|
|
directly from the user shell by the
|
|
<Productname>Postgres</Productname> super-user
|
|
(with the database name as an argument). However,
|
|
doing this bypasses the shared buffer pool and lock table associated
|
|
with a postmaster/site, therefore this is not recommended in a multiuser
|
|
site.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="notation">
|
|
<title>Notation</title>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
<quote>...</quote> or <filename>/usr/local/pgsql/</filename>
|
|
at the front of a file name is used to represent the
|
|
path to the <Productname>Postgres</Productname> superuser's home directory.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
In a command synopsis, brackets
|
|
(<quote>[</quote> and <quote>]</quote>) indicate an optional phrase or keyword.
|
|
Anything in braces
|
|
(<quote>{</quote> and <quote>}</quote>) and containing vertical bars
|
|
(<quote>|</quote>)
|
|
indicates that you must choose one.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
In examples, parentheses (<quote>(</quote> and <quote>)</quote>) are
|
|
used to group boolean
|
|
expressions. <quote>|</quote> is the boolean operator OR.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Examples will show commands executed from various accounts and programs.
|
|
Commands executed from the root account will be preceeded with
|
|
<quote>></quote>.
|
|
Commands executed from the <Productname>Postgres</Productname>
|
|
superuser account will be preceeded with <quote>%</quote>, while commands
|
|
executed from an unprivileged user's account will be preceeded with
|
|
<quote>$</quote>.
|
|
<acronym>SQL</acronym> commands will be preceeded with <quote>=></quote>
|
|
or will have no leading prompt, depending on the context.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<note>
|
|
<para>
|
|
At the time of writing (<Productname>Postgres</Productname> v7.0)
|
|
the notation for
|
|
flagging commands is not universally consistant throughout the
|
|
documentation set.
|
|
Please report problems to
|
|
<ulink url="mailto:docs@postgresql.org">the Documentation Mailing List</ulink>.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file
|
|
Local variables:
|
|
mode:sgml
|
|
sgml-omittag:nil
|
|
sgml-shorttag:t
|
|
sgml-minimize-attributes:nil
|
|
sgml-always-quote-attributes:t
|
|
sgml-indent-step:1
|
|
sgml-indent-data:t
|
|
sgml-parent-document:nil
|
|
sgml-default-dtd-file:"./reference.ced"
|
|
sgml-exposed-tags:nil
|
|
sgml-local-catalogs:("/usr/lib/sgml/catalog")
|
|
sgml-local-ecat-files:nil
|
|
End:
|
|
-->
|