[CLUE-Tech] PostgreSQL (non-)error logging on RedHat

[Matt Gushee]

Well, yesterday I put up an online demo of my magnificent new software
package, which uses PostgreSQL. And sometime last night or early this
morning, PostgreSQL crashed. So of course, I went looking for the log
file to see if I could find out why. Much to my chagrin, I found there
was no log file--and now I know why: RedHat Linux 8.0 starts PostgreSQL
like this (c&p'ed from /etc/init.d/postgresql):

    su -l postgres -s /bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/pg_ctl  -D $PGDATA -p \
        /usr/bin/postmaster start  > /dev/null 2>&1" < /dev/null

... so all the output is going to /dev/null ?!! Both common sense and
the PostgreSQL manual strongly recommend keeping a log ... but before I
go ahead and fix it, is there any good reason for *not* logging? Or
should RedHat be drawn and quartered for this?

-- 
Matt Gushee                 When a nation follows the Way,
Englewood, Colorado, USA    Horses bear manure through
mgushee at havenrock.com           its fields;
http://www.havenrock.com/   When a nation ignores the Way,
                            Horses bear soldiers through
                                its streets.
                                
                            --Lao Tzu (Peter Merel, trans.)