<application>pg_checksums</application> checks, enables or disables data
checksums in a <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> cluster. The server
must be shut down cleanly before running
- <application>pg_checksums</application>. The exit status is zero if there
- are no checksum errors when checking them, and nonzero if at least one
- checksum failure is detected. If enabling or disabling checksums, the
+ <application>pg_checksums</application>. When verifying checksums, the exit
+ status is zero if there are no checksum errors, and nonzero if at least one
+ checksum failure is detected. When enabling or disabling checksums, the
exit status is nonzero if the operation failed.
</para>
<para>
- While checking or enabling checksums needs to scan or write every file in
- the cluster, disabling checksums will only update the file
- <filename>pg_control</filename>.
+ When verifying checksums, every file in the cluster is scanned. When
+ enabling checksums, every file in the cluster is rewritten. Disabling
+ checksums only updates the file <filename>pg_control</filename>.
</para>
</refsect1>
</para>
<para>
If <application>pg_checksums</application> is aborted or killed while
- enabling or disabling checksums, the cluster will keep the same
- configuration for data checksums as before the operation attempted.
- <application>pg_checksums</application> can be restarted to
- attempt again the same operation.
+ enabling or disabling checksums, the cluster's data checksum configuration
+ remains unchanged, and <application>pg_checksums</application> can be
+ re-run to perform the same operation.
</para>
</refsect1>
</refentry>