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From: Andrew Jackson <andrewjackson947@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 08:56:46 -0600
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 <CAKK5BkHh4AWTD0KMqF+fA=vqwAe4_cCG59q+wLstz=YwwYAeAQ@mail.gmail.com>
Subject: Re: Add Restart=on-failure To Example Systemd File
To: Peter Eisentraut <peter@eisentraut.org>
Cc: pgsql-docs@postgresql.org
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Awesome, thank you.

With regard to downstream package managers:

I previously raised an issue with pgdg yum repos which was actioned [0].
The only other package manager that I use is nixpkgs, interestingly they
set their service file's restart policy to "always"[1].

[0]: https://github.com/pgdg-packaging/pgdg-rpms/issues/127
[1]:
https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/e510dca493787fb7dff8ad31c1f215a0e4d78=
00a/nixos/modules/services/databases/postgresql.nix#L802

On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, 6:22=E2=80=AFAM Peter Eisentraut <peter@eisentraut.org=
> wrote:

> On 27.11.25 19:55, Andrew Jackson wrote:
> > Currently the systemd file in the documentation does not specify a
> > restart policy. By default systemd will not attempt to restart a
> > service that has failed (killed by OOM-killer for example) [0]. The
> > systemd docs recommends "Setting this to on-failure is the recommended
> > choice for long-running services, in order to increase reliability by
> > attempting automatic recovery from errors." I think that Postgres is
> > probably a good example of a "long-running service". Pgbouncer for
> > example also uses "Restart=3Don-failure" [1].
>
> Committed.
>
> I think your argument from the commit message that most users copy their
> systemd unit files from the docs is not quite correct.  Most users use
> what is in packages.  So perhaps you want to check the usual packagings
> and see if they are also using that setting.
>
>

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<div dir=3D"auto">Awesome, thank you.<div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=
=3D"auto">With regard to downstream package managers:</div><div dir=3D"auto=
"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">I previously raised an issue with pgdg yum re=
pos which was actioned [0]. The only other package manager that I use is ni=
xpkgs, interestingly they set their service file&#39;s restart policy to &q=
uot;always&quot;[1].</div><div dir=3D"auto"><br></div><div dir=3D"auto">[0]=
:=C2=A0<a href=3D"https://github.com/pgdg-packaging/pgdg-rpms/issues/127" r=
el=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">https://github.com/pgdg-pack=
aging/pgdg-rpms/issues/127</a></div><div dir=3D"auto">[1]:=C2=A0<a href=3D"=
https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/e510dca493787fb7dff8ad31c1f215a0e4d78=
00a/nixos/modules/services/databases/postgresql.nix#L802">https://github.co=
m/NixOS/nixpkgs/blob/e510dca493787fb7dff8ad31c1f215a0e4d7800a/nixos/modules=
/services/databases/postgresql.nix#L802</a></div></div><br><div class=3D"gm=
ail_quote"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Tue, Mar 3, 2026, 6:22=
=E2=80=AFAM Peter Eisentraut &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:peter@eisentraut.org" re=
l=3D"noreferrer noreferrer" target=3D"_blank">peter@eisentraut.org</a>&gt; =
wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0 0 0 .8e=
x;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">On 27.11.25 19:55, Andrew Ja=
ckson wrote:<br>
&gt; Currently the systemd file in the documentation does not specify a<br>
&gt; restart policy. By default systemd will not attempt to restart a<br>
&gt; service that has failed (killed by OOM-killer for example) [0]. The<br=
>
&gt; systemd docs recommends &quot;Setting this to on-failure is the recomm=
ended<br>
&gt; choice for long-running services, in order to increase reliability by<=
br>
&gt; attempting automatic recovery from errors.&quot; I think that Postgres=
 is<br>
&gt; probably a good example of a &quot;long-running service&quot;. Pgbounc=
er for<br>
&gt; example also uses &quot;Restart=3Don-failure&quot; [1].<br>
<br>
Committed.<br>
<br>
I think your argument from the commit message that most users copy their <b=
r>
systemd unit files from the docs is not quite correct.=C2=A0 Most users use=
 <br>
what is in packages.=C2=A0 So perhaps you want to check the usual packaging=
s <br>
and see if they are also using that setting.<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div>

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