Re: control pg_hba.conf via SQL

Tom Lane wrote:
> I'm a bit suspicious of proposals that we move either hba or conf into
> SQL tables --- one of the main reasons why they are flat files is so
> you can still edit them after you've hosed them to the point that the
> database won't start or won't let you in. If you don't have a non-kluge
> solution to the DBA-mistake-recovery scenario, this is not going to be
> an improvement.
>
What about a line in pg_hba which tells pgsql how to handle it. I.e. an
example is :

--- pg_hba.conf ---
Include_file = {only, first, last, not}
< normal lines >
--- pg_hba.conf ---

Not means only use in DB data.
First means load file before data from DB (so db can overwrite file
settings)
Last means load file after data from DB (so file can overwrite db settings)
Only means just use file settings (as today)
If the line is missing, assume only (backwards compatibility).

By the way, I really think there should be real grammar for it, not just
a couple of sql helper functions.

Svenne