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+++ b/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@
alink="#0000ff">
<H1>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL</H1>
- <P>Last updated: Thu May 18 23:52:32 EDT 2006</P>
+ <P>Last updated: Mon Oct 9 20:28:14 EDT 2006</P>
<P>Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (<A href=
- "mailto:pgman@candle.pha.pa.us">pgman@candle.pha.pa.us</A>)
+ "mailto:bruce@momjian.us">bruce@momjian.us</A>)
</P>
<P>The most recent version of this document can be viewed at <A href=
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
<A href="#item1.3">1.3</A>) What is the copyright of PostgreSQL?<BR>
<A href="#item1.4">1.4</A>) What platforms does PostgreSQL support?<BR>
<A href="#item1.5">1.5</A>) Where can I get PostgreSQL?<BR>
- <A href="#item1.6">1.6</A>) What is the latest release?<BR>
+ <A href="#item1.6">1.6</A>) What is the most recent release?<BR>
<A href="#item1.7">1.7</A>) Where can I get support?<BR>
<A href="#item1.8">1.8</A>) How do I submit a bug report?<BR>
<A href="#item1.9">1.9</A>) How do I find out about known bugs or
@@ -63,8 +63,7 @@
<A href="#item3.4">3.4</A>) What debugging features are available?<BR>
<A href="#item3.5">3.5</A>) Why do I get <I>"Sorry, too many
clients"</I> when trying to connect?<BR>
- <A href="#item3.6">3.6</A>) Why do I need to do a dump and restore
- to upgrade PostgreSQL releases?<BR>
+ <A href="#item3.6">3.6</A> What is the upgrade process for PostgreSQL?<BR>
<A href="#item3.7">3.7</A>) What computer hardware should I use?<BR>
@@ -200,7 +199,7 @@
instructions.</P>
<P>PostgreSQL also runs natively on Microsoft Windows NT-based operating
- systems like Win2000, WinXP, and Win2003. A prepackaged installer is
+ systems like Win2000 SP4, WinXP, and Win2003. A prepackaged installer is
available at <a href= "http://pgfoundry.org/projects/pginstaller">
http://pgfoundry.org/projects/pginstaller</a>. MSDOS-based versions
of Windows (Win95, Win98, WinMe) can run PostgreSQL using Cygwin.</P>
@@ -218,7 +217,7 @@
<A href="ftp://ftp.PostgreSQL.org/pub/">
ftp://ftp.PostgreSQL.org/pub/</A>.</P>
- <H3 id="item1.6">1.6) What is the latest release?</H3>
+ <H3 id="item1.6">1.6) What is the most recent release?</H3>
<P>The latest release of PostgreSQL is version 8.1.5.</P>
@@ -241,8 +240,8 @@
(<I>#postgresqlfr</I>). There is also a PostgreSQL channel on EFNet.</P>
<P>A list of commercial support companies is available at <A href=
- "http://techdocs.postgresql.org/companies.php">
- http://techdocs.postgresql.org/companies.php</A>.</P>
+ "http://www.postgresql.org/support/professional_support">
+ http://www.postgresql.org/support/professional_support</A>.</P>
<H3 id="item1.8">1.8) How do I submit a bug report?</H3>
@@ -472,9 +471,10 @@
<H3 id="item2.3">2.3) Does PostgreSQL have a graphical user
interface?</H3>
- <P>Yes, see <a href="http://techdocs.postgresql.org/guides/GUITools">
- http://techdocs.postgresql.org/guides/GUITools</a> for a
- detailed list.</P>
+ <P>There are a large number of GUI Tools that are available for PostgreSQL
+ from both commercial and open source developers. A detailed list can be
+ found in the <A href="http://www.postgresql.org/docs/techdocs.54">
+ PostgreSQL Community Documentation</A></P>
<HR>
@@ -544,11 +544,11 @@
<DT><B>Hardware Selection</B></DT>
- <DD>The effect of hardware on performance is detailed in <a
- href="http://candle.pha.pa.us/main/writings/pgsql/hw_performance/index.html">
- http://candle.pha.pa.us/main/writings/pgsql/hw_performance/index.html</a> and
+ <DD>The effect of hardware on performance is detailed in
<a href="http://www.powerpostgresql.com/PerfList/">
- http://www.powerpostgresql.com/PerfList/</a>.
+ http://www.powerpostgresql.com/PerfList/</a> and <a
+ href="http://momjian.us/main/writings/pgsql/hw_performance/index.html">
+ http://momjian.us/main/writings/pgsql/hw_performance/index.html</a>.
<BR>
<BR>
</DD>
@@ -570,16 +570,23 @@
<I>max_connections</I> value in <I>postgresql.conf</I> and
restarting the <I>postmaster</I>.</P>
- <H3 id="item3.6">3.6) Why do I need to do a dump and restore
- to upgrade between major PostgreSQL releases?</H3>
+ <H3 id="item3.6">3.6) What is the upgrade process for PostgreSQL?</H3>
- <P>The PostgreSQL team makes only small changes between minor releases,
- so upgrading from 7.4.0 to 7.4.1 does not require a dump and restore.
- However, major releases (e.g. from 7.3 to 7.4) often change the internal
+ <P>The PostgreSQL team makes only bug fixes in minor releases,
+ so, for example, upgrading from 7.4.8 to 7.4.9 does not require
+ a dump and restore; merely stop the database server, install
+ the updated binaries, and restart the server.</P>
+
+ <P>All users should upgrade to the most recent minor release as
+ soon as it is available. While every upgrade has some risk,
+ PostgreSQL minor releases are designed to fix only common bugs
+ with the least risk. The community considers <i>not</i> upgrading
+ more risky that upgrading.</P>
+
+ <P>Major releases (e.g. from 7.3 to 7.4) often change the internal
format of system tables and data files. These changes are often complex,
- so we don't maintain backward compatibility for data files. A dump outputs
- data in a generic format that can then be loaded in using the new internal
- format.</P>
+ so we don't maintain backward compatibility for data files. A dump/reload
+ of the database is required for major upgrades.</P>
<H3 id="item3.7">3.7) What computer hardware should I use?</H3>
@@ -687,7 +694,7 @@ table?</TD><TD>unlimited</TD></TR>
<P>One limitation is that indexes can not be created on columns
longer than about 2,000 characters. Fortunately, such indexes are
- rarely needed. Uniqueness is best guaranteed by a funtion index
+ rarely needed. Uniqueness is best guaranteed by a function index
of an MD5 hash of the long column, and full text indexing
allows for searching of words within the column.</P>
@@ -805,8 +812,8 @@ table?</TD><TD>unlimited</TD></TR>
FROM tab
WHERE lower(col) = 'abc';
</PRE>
- This will not use an standard index. However, if you create a
- expresssion index, it will be used:
+ This will not use an standard index. However, if you create an
+ expression index, it will be used:
<PRE>
CREATE INDEX tabindex ON tab (lower(col));
</PRE>
@@ -950,7 +957,7 @@ length</TD></TR>
<P>Every row that is created in PostgreSQL gets a unique
<SMALL>OID</SMALL> unless created <SMALL>WITHOUT OIDS</SMALL>.
- O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are autotomatically assigned unique 4-byte
+ O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are automatically assigned unique 4-byte
integers that are unique across the entire installation. However,
they overflow at 4 billion, and then the O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s start
being duplicated. PostgreSQL uses <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s to link its