Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting ready
It is a good idea to make a full copy of your PostgreSQL installation before you start
investigating. This will help you restart several times and be sure that you are in fact
investigating the results of the bug and not chasing your own tail by looking at changes
introduced by your last investigation and debugging attempt.
How to do it...
Try to make a minimal repeatable test scenario which exhibits this bug. Sometimes the bug
disappears while doing it, but mostly it is needed for making it easier for the one who tries to
fix it. It is almost impossible to fix a bug that you can't observe and repeat at will.
If it is about query processing, then usually you can provide minimal dump file (result of
running
pg_dump
) of your database together with an SQL script that exhibits the error.
If you have corrupt data, then you may want to make (a subset of) the corrupted data files
available to people who have knowledge and time to look at it. Sometimes, you can find such
people on the PostgreSQL hackers list, and sometimes you have to hire someone or even
fix it yourself. The more preparatory work you do yourself and the better you formulate your
questions, the higher is the chance you have of finding help quickly.
If you suspect a data corruption bug and feel adventurous, then you can read about the data
formats at
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.0/static/storage.html
, and
investigate your data tables using the
pageinspect
package from contrib.
And always include at least the PostgreSQL version you are using and the operating system on
which you are using it.
For a full guide, see the end of this chapter.
How it works...
If everything works really well, then it goes like the following:
F
A user submits a well-researched bug report to the PostgreSQL hackers list
F
Some discussions follow on the list and the user may be asked to provide some
additional information
F
Somebody finds out what is wrong, and proposes a fix
F
The fix is discussed on the hackers list
F
The bug is fixed, there is a patch for current version and, the fix will be included in
the next version
F
Sometimes the fix is backported to older versions
