The following bug has been logged online:
Bug reference: 4449
Logged by: Kevin M. Kilbride
Email address: kevinmkilbride@yahoo.com
PostgreSQL version: 8.3
Operating system: Gentoo GNU/Linux 2008.0
Description: allows "pg_ctl restart" to terminate idle processes
Details:
Because a very large number of clients now habitually establish permanent
connections to PGSQL in order to alleviate startup overhead, the "smart"
restart mode of pg_ctl has become nearly useless because it will not
terminate idle processes.
It would be nice if pg_ctl were updated so that the "smart" restart mode
simply terminated idle processes (a la "fast mode"), but waited for active
processes to finish transactions before terminating them. This would restore
"low-impact restart" functionality to those systems with clients that
establish permanent connections...which is virtually everybody, these days.