How to Reinstall postgresql96 for Data Migration; Was: Time to delete old PostgreSQL from MacPorts?

[Joshua Root]

The EOL versions should definitely be deprecated, but removal was only 
on the table because no one was willing to do the work to backport the 
patches to get them building again. If you are, then great! The old 
versions are indeed useful to have available for the purpose of getting 
your data into something newer.

- Josh

On 24/11/2024 07:15, Steven Smith wrote:
> I’ve added a patch for this and fixed the issue:
> 
> https://github.com/macports/macports-ports/pull/26717 <https:// 
> github.com/macports/macports-ports/pull/26717>
> 
> Given the long tail of deployed PostgreSQL servers and data files, I’ll 
> defer to the MacPorts community whether these older unsupported versions 
> should actually be deprecated, as they’re required to migrate data to 
> more recent PostgreSQL versions.
> 
> Steve
> 
> 
>> On Nov 23, 2024, at 2:32 PM, Steven Smith <steve.t.smith at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I just discovered that I’ve been impacted by this recent update to the 
>> port postgresql96—my fault entirely as there’s been plenty of warning 
>> on MacPorts threads.
>>
>> I have PG96 data files, but see that I’ve auto-uninstalled PG96, and 
>> also PG96 no longer builds.
>>
>> I’d like to migrate to the latest PG17, but without a running PG96 
>> pg_ctl, I’d have to install this binary from upstream, or preferably 
>> from a prebuilt MacPorts tarball.
>>
>> If possible, it would be much simpler to install from an existing 
>> prebuilt tarball, if that’s even possible.
>>
>> Does anyone know how to patch postgresql96 so that it builds on macOS 
>> 14, or how to install a prebuilt port from a MacPorts download?
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Steve
>>
>>
>> The known_fail error is in xml.c:
>>
>>> :info:build xml.c:977:45: error: incompatible function pointer types 
>>> passing 'void (void *, xmlErrorPtr)' (aka 'void (void *, struct 
>>> _xmlError *)') to parameter of type 'xmlStructuredErrorFunc' (aka 
>>> 'void (*)(void *, const struct _xmlError *)') [-Wincompatible- 
>>> function-pointer-types]
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Jul 12, 2024, at 4:54 PM, David Gilman <davidgilman1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Is there any opposition to dropping all unsupported PostgreSQL
>>> versions from MacPorts? That would be any version of PostgreSQL before
>>> 12. Version 12 runs out of support later this year.
>>>
>>> Right now none of the unsupported versions will build in MacPorts
>>> without backporting patches[0]. I don't think it's impossible to get
>>> them building again, the PostgreSQL codebase moves slowly and patches
>>> can probably be made to apply, I just don't think the effort is
>>> justified if there aren't any users on these old versions.
>>>
>>> Note that psql and the client library (libpq) are backwards compatible
>>> going back many versions. You can use newer versions of psql with
>>> older databases. These ports are only useful if you need to run a
>>> specific version of the PostgreSQL server itself.
>>>
>>> [0] at least https://github.com/postgres/postgres/ 
>>> commit/400928b83bd254d20f0790d467f221bb52707e6e
>>> but I'm sure there are more gotchas as you go further back.
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> David Gilman
>>> :DG<
>>
>