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><H1
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><A
NAME="AEN228"
>Terminology</A
></H1
><P
>In the following documentation,
<I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>site</I
>
may be interpreted as the host machine on which 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> is installed.
Since it is possible to install more than one set of 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
>
databases on a single host, this term more precisely denotes any
particular set of installed 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> binaries and databases.&#13;</P
><P
>The 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> <I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>superuser</I
>
is the user named <TT
CLASS="REPLACEABLE"
><I
>postgres</I
></TT
>
 who owns the <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
>
binaries and database files.  As the database superuser, all
protection mechanisms may be bypassed and any data accessed
arbitrarily.  
In addition, the <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> superuser is allowed to execute
some support programs which are generally not available to all users.
Note that the <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> superuser is
<I
CLASS="EMPHASIS"
>not</I
>
the same as the Unix superuser (which will be referred to as <I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>root</I
>).
The superuser should have a non-zero user identifier (<I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>UID</I
>)
for security reasons.&#13;</P
><P
>The
<I
CLASS="FIRSTTERM"
>database administrator</I
>
or <SPAN
CLASS="ACRONYM"
>DBA</SPAN
>, is the person who is responsible for installing 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> with mechanisms to
enforce a security policy for a site.  The DBA can add new users by
the method described below 
and maintain a set of template databases for use by
<SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>createdb</SPAN
>.&#13;</P
><P
>The <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>postmaster</SPAN
>
is the process that acts as a clearing-house for requests 
to the <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> system.
Frontend applications connect to the <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>postmaster</SPAN
>,
which keeps tracks of any system errors and communication between the
backend processes.  The <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>postmaster</SPAN
>
can take several command-line arguments to tune its behavior.
However, supplying arguments is necessary only if you intend to run multiple
sites or a non-default site.&#13;</P
><P
>The <SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> backend
(the actual executable program <SPAN
CLASS="APPLICATION"
>postgres</SPAN
>) may be executed
directly from the user shell by the 
<SPAN
CLASS="PRODUCTNAME"
>Postgres</SPAN
> super-user 
(with the database name as an argument).  However,
doing this bypasses the shared buffer pool and lock table associated
with a postmaster/site, therefore this is not recommended in a multiuser
site.&#13;</P
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