Writing WAL files - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Robert Inder
Subject Writing WAL files
Date
Msg-id CAKqjJm83gnw2u0ugpkgc4bq58L=cLwbvmh69TwKKo83Y1CnANw@mail.gmail.com
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Responses Re: Writing WAL files
Re: Writing WAL files
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I am moving a database from PSQL 9 (!) on CentOS 6 to PSQL 12 on CentOS 7

I have a pair of servers -- one live, one standby.
The live server defines an archive_command as "rsync...." to shift WAL files to the standby server,
The standby server uses "pg_standby" to monitor and process incoming WAL files.
I believe this is all very vanilla, and indeed changes made in the live database are duly shipped to the standby.

BUT...

One of the things I like about the old PGSQL 9 setup is that it generates and ships a WAL file every few minutes, even if nothing has happened in the database.
I find it re-assuring to be able to see WAL files arriving and being processed without problem even when the live system was idle. 

But I cannot get PGSQL 12 to do this.  It only writes (and thus ships) WAL files when something happens in the database.
If the database is idle, it simply does not write any WAL files.

I thought I would get WAL files written from an idle database if, in postgresql.conf, I set "archive_timeout" to 120.

And I've tried setting "checkpoint_timeout" to 90s,

But to no avail.  No WAL files are written unless the database changes.

So what am I missing?  How CAN I get postgresql 12 to write "unnecessary" WAL files every couple of minutes?

Robert.

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Robert Inder,                                    0131 229 1052 / 07808 492 213
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