You're better off doing a live backup with the PITR mechanism. That way its not a trick (assuming you're running 8.0+). If you are archiving logs, do select pg_start_backup(<label>); (do rsync,tar,cp -r,whatever) select pg_stop_backup(); Do an archive recovery with any saved logs, add 2 eggs, stir, and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Instant hot backup. I haven't figured out a microwave recipe yet...metal computer cases and what not...:-) On 11/3/05 10:39 AM, "Bruce Momjian" <pgman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: > Tony Caduto wrote: >> Hi, >> Does anyone know if it would be safe to use rsync to mirror a Postgresql >> setup to a backup server? >> >> I need to create a exact duplicate for a disaster recovery server, the >> disaster recovery server would not be in use until the production one >> went down for >> some reason. >> >> It seems to me that if the postmaster is stopped it should be safe. >> Comments? > > Yes, it is safe if the postmaster is down. In fact our documention > recommends a trick of doing rsync while the postmaster is running, then > shutting down the postmaster just long enough to do another rsync to get > the changes into the backup. ---------------------------(end of broadcast)--------------------------- TIP 3: Have you checked our extensive FAQ? http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faq