1. What's In This Book

This book covers topics that are of interest to a PostgreSQL database administrator. This includes installation of the software, set up and configuration of the server, management of users and databases, and maintenance tasks. Anyone who runs a PostgreSQL server, either for personal use, but especially in production, should be familiar with the topics covered in this book.

The information in this book is arranged approximately in the order in which a new user should read it. But the chapters are self-contained and can be read individually as desired. The information in this book is presented in a narrative fashion in topical units. Readers looking for a complete description of a particular command should look into the PostgreSQL 7.3.4 Reference Manual.

The first few chapters are written so that they can be understood without prerequisite knowledge, so that new users who need to set up their own server can begin their exploration with this book. The rest of this book which is about tuning and management presupposes that the reader is familiar with the general use of the PostgreSQL database system. Readers are encouraged to look at the PostgreSQL 7.3.4 Tutorial and the PostgreSQL 7.3.4 User's Guide for additional information.

This book covers PostgreSQL 7.3.4 only. For information on other versions, please read the documentation that accompanies that release.