[DOCS] Missing important information in backup.sgml

[Gunnar "Nick" Bluth]

Hi,

I ran into this issue (see patch) a few times over the past years, and
tend to forget it again (sigh!). Today I had to clean up a few hundred
GB of unarchived WALs, so I decided to write a patch for the
documentation this time.


diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
index 6eaed1e..460a4f2 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
@@ -636,7 +636,13 @@ test ! -f
/mnt/server/archivedir/00000001000000A900000065 && cp pg_wal/0
     <productname>PostgreSQL</> will assume that the file has been
     successfully archived, and will remove or recycle it.  However, a
nonzero
     status tells <productname>PostgreSQL</> that the file was not archived;
-    it will try again periodically until it succeeds.
+    it will try again periodically until it succeeds. Note that an exit
+    status of 128 or higher will cause the archiver to exit and
<emphasis>not
+    </> try to archive the affected WAL segment anymore. E.g.,
<command>rsync</>
+    tends to return an exit status of 255 when it is unable to resolve a
+    hostname, which - when returned unfiltered - will result in permanent
+    failure to archive the segment, even if the resolving problem is only
+    temporarily.
    </para>

    <para>



Best regards,
-- 
Gunnar "Nick" Bluth
DBA ELSTER

Tel:   +49 911/991-4665
Mobil: +49 172/8853339


diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
index 6eaed1e..460a4f2 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/backup.sgml
@@ -636,7 +636,13 @@ test ! -f /mnt/server/archivedir/00000001000000A900000065 &amp;&amp; cp pg_wal/0
     <productname>PostgreSQL</> will assume that the file has been
     successfully archived, and will remove or recycle it.  However, a nonzero
     status tells <productname>PostgreSQL</> that the file was not archived;
-    it will try again periodically until it succeeds.
+    it will try again periodically until it succeeds. Note that an exit
+    status of 128 or higher will cause the archiver to exit and <emphasis>not
+    </> try to archive the affected WAL segment anymore. E.g., <command>rsync</>
+    tends to return an exit status of 255 when it is unable to resolve a 
+    hostname, which - when returned unfiltered - will result in permanent
+    failure to archive the segment, even if the resolving problem is only
+    temporarily.
    </para>
 
    <para>

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