diff --git a/doc/FAQ b/doc/FAQ
index 528ed9cb910cecd82e5a31aedec4f218458ef585..447d30dc58258de218bfd4d04dc8e9fcde4b3c64 100644
--- a/doc/FAQ
+++ b/doc/FAQ
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL
- Last updated: Wed Jan 19 14:45:22 EST 2005
+ Last updated: Sat Jan 29 21:05:17 EST 2005
Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (pgman@candle.pha.pa.us)
@@ -956,32 +956,16 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
4.15) What is an OID? What is a TID?
- OIDs are PostgreSQL's answer to unique row ids. Every row that is
- created in PostgreSQL gets a unique OID. All OIDs generated during
- initdb are less than 16384 (from include/access/transam.h). All
- user-created OIDs are equal to or greater than this. By default, all
- these OIDs are unique not only within a table or database, but unique
- within the entire PostgreSQL installation.
-
- PostgreSQL uses OIDs in its internal system tables to link rows
- between tables. These OIDs can be used to identify specific user rows
- and used in joins. It is recommended you use column type OID to store
- OID values. You can create an index on the OID field for faster
- access.
-
- OIDs are assigned to all new rows from a central area that is used by
- all databases. If you want to change the OID to something else, or if
- you want to make a copy of the table, with the original OIDs, there is
- no reason you can't do it:
- CREATE TABLE new_table(mycol int);
- SELECT oid AS old_oid, mycol INTO tmp_table FROM old_table;
- COPY tmp_table TO '/tmp/pgtable';
- COPY new_table WITH OIDS FROM '/tmp/pgtable';
- DROP TABLE tmp_table;
-
- OIDs are stored as 4-byte integers, and will overflow at 4 billion. No
- one has reported this ever happening, and we plan to have the limit
- removed before anyone does.
+ Every row that is created in PostgreSQL gets a unique OID unless
+ created WITHOUT OIDS. OIDs are autotomatically assigned unique 4-byte
+ integers that are unique across the entire installation. However, they
+ overflow at 4 billion, and then the OIDs start being duplicated.
+ PostgreSQL uses OIDs to link its internal system tables together.
+
+ To uniquely number columns in user tables, it is best to use SERIAL
+ rather than OIDs because SERIAL sequences are unique only within a
+ single table. and are therefore less likely to overflow. SERIAL8 is
+ available for storing eight-byte sequence values.
TIDs are used to identify specific physical rows with block and offset
values. TIDs change after rows are modified or reloaded. They are used
diff --git a/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html b/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html
index ec6a92b960a52285a81169650f41231cc50298f7..37e2ec37b4f77891d24e29caf0fcabb75560e9e0 100644
--- a/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html
+++ b/doc/src/FAQ/FAQ.html
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
alink="#0000ff">
<H1>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL</H1>
- <P>Last updated: Wed Jan 19 14:45:22 EST 2005</P>
+ <P>Last updated: Sat Jan 29 21:05:17 EST 2005</P>
<P>Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (<A href=
"mailto:pgman@candle.pha.pa.us">pgman@candle.pha.pa.us</A>)<BR>
@@ -1190,37 +1190,20 @@ BYTEA bytea variable-length byte array (null-byte safe)
<H4><A name="4.15">4.15</A>) What is an <SMALL>OID</SMALL>? What is
a <SMALL>TID</SMALL>?</H4>
- <P><SMALL>OID</SMALL>s are PostgreSQL's answer to unique row ids.
- Every row that is created in PostgreSQL gets a unique
- <SMALL>OID</SMALL>. All <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s generated during
- <I>initdb</I> are less than 16384 (from
- <I>include/access/transam.h</I>). All user-created
- <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s are equal to or greater than this. By default,
- all these <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s are unique not only within a table or
- database, but unique within the entire PostgreSQL installation.</P>
-
- <P>PostgreSQL uses <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s in its internal system
- tables to link rows between tables. These <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s can
- be used to identify specific user rows and used in joins. It is
- recommended you use column type <SMALL>OID</SMALL> to store
- <SMALL>OID</SMALL> values. You can create an index on the
- <SMALL>OID</SMALL> field for faster access.</P>
-
- <P>O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are assigned to all new rows from a central
- area that is used by all databases. If you want to change the
- <SMALL>OID</SMALL> to something else, or if you want to make a copy
- of the table, with the original <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s, there is no
- reason you can't do it:</P>
-<PRE>
- CREATE TABLE new_table(mycol int);
- SELECT oid AS old_oid, mycol INTO tmp_table FROM old_table;
- COPY tmp_table TO '/tmp/pgtable';
- COPY new_table WITH OIDS FROM '/tmp/pgtable';
- DROP TABLE tmp_table;
-</PRE>
- <P>O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are stored as 4-byte integers, and will
- overflow at 4 billion. No one has reported this ever happening, and
- we plan to have the limit removed before anyone does.</P>
+ <P>Every row that is created in PostgreSQL gets a unique
+ <SMALL>OID</SMALL> unless created <SMALL>WITHOUT OIDS</SMALL>.
+ O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are autotomatically assigned unique 4-byte
+ integers that are unique across the entire installation. However,
+ they overflow at 4 billion, and then the O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s start
+ being duplicated. PostgreSQL uses <SMALL>OID</SMALL>s to link its
+ internal system tables together.</P>
+
+ <P>To uniquely number columns in user tables, it is best to use
+ <SMALL>SERIAL</> rather than O<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s because
+ <SMALL>SERIAL<SMALL> sequences are unique only within a single
+ table. and are therefore less likely to overflow.
+ <SMALL>SERIAL8</SMALL> is available for storing eight-byte sequence
+ values.</P>
<P>T<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s are used to identify specific physical rows
with block and offset values. T<SMALL>ID</SMALL>s change after rows