-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml,v 2.128 2009/06/05 13:40:31 momjian Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml,v 2.129 2009/06/26 22:06:11 tgl Exp $ -->
<chapter id="backup">
<title>Backup and Restore</title>
last valid restart point. That is the earliest file that must be kept
to allow a restore to be restartable, so this information can be used
to truncate the archive to just the minimum required to support
- restart of the current restore. <literal>%r</> would only be used in a
- warm-standby configuration (see <xref linkend="warm-standby">).
+ restart from the current restore. <literal>%r</> would typically be
+ used in a warm-standby configuration
+ (see <xref linkend="warm-standby">).
Write <literal>%%</> to embed an actual <literal>%</> character
in the command.
</para>
<para>
This parameter specifies a shell command that will be executed once only
at the end of recovery. This parameter is optional. The purpose of the
- recovery_end_command is to provide a mechanism for cleanup following
- replication or recovery.
+ <varname>recovery_end_command</> is to provide a mechanism for cleanup
+ following replication or recovery.
Any <literal>%r</> is replaced by the name of the file
containing the last valid restart point. That is the earliest file that
must be kept to allow a restore to be restartable, so this information
can be used to truncate the archive to just the minimum required to
- support restart of the current restore. <literal>%r</> would only be
- used in a warm-standby configuration (see <xref linkend="warm-standby">).
+ support restart from the current restore. <literal>%r</> would
+ typically be used in a warm-standby configuration
+ (see <xref linkend="warm-standby">).
Write <literal>%%</> to embed an actual <literal>%</> character
in the command.
+ </para>
+ <para>
If the command returns a non-zero exit status then a WARNING log
- message will be written, unless signalled in which case we return
- a FATAL error.
+ message will be written and the database will proceed to start up
+ anyway. An exception is that if the command was terminated by a
+ signal, the database will not proceed with startup.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>