Re: [SOLVED] Re: pgsql8b5 not launching on OSX system start; otherwise OK

OpenMacNews <pgsql-general.20.openmacnews@spamgourmet.com> writes:
> note that my cmd line refers to the conf file, which has the external
> PID id'd in it:

>      external_pid_file = '/var/run/postgresql.pid'

Oh, now you tell us ;-)

Still, I'm not sure what could be the problem.  The only code that
reacts to that setting is in postmaster.c:

    /*
     * Write the external PID file if requested
     */
    if (external_pid_file)
    {
        FILE       *fpidfile = fopen(external_pid_file, "w");

        if (fpidfile)
        {
            fprintf(fpidfile, "%d\n", MyProcPid);
            fclose(fpidfile);
            /* Should we remove the pid file on postmaster exit? */
        }
        else
            write_stderr("%s: could not write external PID file \"%s\": %s\n",
                         progname, external_pid_file, strerror(errno));
    }

I suppose that the fopen might have failed (maybe the original pid file
wasn't writable by the postmaster??), but why wouldn't it have printed
an error message and kept going?

            regards, tom lane