Relative path specified for data_directory is not working as expected

I have PostgreSQL 9.0.4-1 running as a service on Windows XP Home Edition,
with the command line of the service being:

D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"

In the postgresql.conf file I have the following settings:

data_directory = '../../data/PostgreSQL'
external_pid_file = '../../var/run/PostgreSQL.pid'
log_directory = '../../var/log/PostgreSQL'

In this configuration the PostgreSQL service fails to start with the message:

FATAL: data directory "C:/WINDOWS/system32/../../data/PostgreSQL" does not exist

If using an absolute path for data_directory like this:

data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'

then the service starts ok, with the curent directory of pg_ctl.exe
being C:\WINDOWS\system32\, while the pid file and the logs
are set to the desired location.

I can confirm this behavior by running postgres.exe from the console,
and for relative paths the data_directory is relative to the current folder
from where postgres.exe is launched, and both external_pid_file and log_directory
are relative to the directory specified with the -D option of the command line.

For the record, there is no PGDATA environment variable defined.

Have a nice day,
Eduard

On 2011-06-23 19:15, Reid Thompson wrote:
> On 06/23/2011 11:08 AM, Eduard-Cristian Stefan wrote:
>> D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"
> not very familiar with the windows version, but I think -D is supposed to point to the data directory which in your later info is listed as
> data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'

I was following the documentation:
If you wish to keep the configuration files elsewhere than the data directory,
the postgres -D command-line option or PGDATA environment variable must point
to the directory containing the configuration files, and the data_directory
parameter must be set in postgresql.conf (or on the command line) to show
where the data directory is actually located. Notice that data_directory
overrides -D and PGDATA for the location of the data directory,
but not for the location of the configuration files.

Have a nice day,
Eduard

On 06/23/2011 11:08 AM, Eduard-Cristian Stefan wrote:
> D:\me\usr\PostgreSQL\bin/pg_ctl.exe runservice -N "pgsql" -D "d:/me/etc/PostgreSQL"
not very familiar with the windows version, but I think -D is supposed to point to the data directory which in your later info is
listed as
data_directory = 'd:/me/data/PostgreSQL'