diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index 9e695bad576d4ab1187ecef889aa9128591b3d74..b02598a7bcda0191413888fbbdb13cfd000506b1 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <!--
-$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.28 2005/10/13 22:55:19 momjian Exp $
+$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.29 2005/10/14 20:53:55 tgl Exp $
 -->
 <chapter Id="runtime-config">
   <title>Run-time Configuration</title>
@@ -2254,7 +2254,8 @@ SELECT * FROM parent WHERE key = 2400;
         the default is <literal>LOCAL0</>. See also the
         documentation of your system's
         <application>syslog</application> daemon.
-        This option can only be set at server start.
+        This option can only be set at server start or in the
+        <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> configuration file.
        </para>
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>
@@ -2271,7 +2272,8 @@ SELECT * FROM parent WHERE key = 2400;
          <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> messages in
          <application>syslog</application> logs. The default is
          <literal>postgres</literal>.
-          This option can only be set at server start.
+         This option can only be set at server start or in the
+         <filename>postgresql.conf</filename> configuration file.
         </para>
        </listitem>
       </varlistentry>
@@ -2581,8 +2583,8 @@ SELECT * FROM parent WHERE key = 2400;
         <varname>log_statement</> to be logged.  When using this option, 
         if you are not using <application>syslog</>, it is recommended 
         that you log the PID or session ID using <varname>log_line_prefix</> 
-        so that you can link the statement to the 
-        duration using the process ID or session ID. The default is
+        so that you can link the statement message to the later
+        duration message using the process ID or session ID. The default is
         <literal>off</>. Only superusers can change this setting.
        </para>
       </listitem>
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
index 07b2d007395fdfcf3500de876c7364ee17736303..d24242e8409000f60d6fea11c534ba7dd3195781 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c,v 1.163 2005/10/14 16:41:02 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c,v 1.164 2005/10/14 20:53:56 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -80,8 +80,9 @@ char	   *Log_line_prefix = NULL;		/* format for extra log line info */
 int			Log_destination = LOG_DESTINATION_STDERR;
 
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
-char	   *Syslog_facility;	/* openlog() parameters */
-char	   *Syslog_ident;
+static bool openlog_done = false;
+static char *syslog_ident = NULL;
+static int	syslog_facility = LOG_LOCAL0;
 
 static void write_syslog(int level, const char *line);
 #endif
@@ -1148,6 +1149,39 @@ DebugFileOpen(void)
 
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
 
+/*
+ * Set or update the parameters for syslog logging
+ */
+void
+set_syslog_parameters(const char *ident, int facility)
+{
+	/*
+	 * guc.c is likely to call us repeatedly with same parameters, so
+	 * don't thrash the syslog connection unnecessarily.  Also, we do not
+	 * re-open the connection until needed, since this routine will get called
+	 * whether or not Log_destination actually mentions syslog.
+	 *
+	 * Note that we make our own copy of the ident string rather than relying
+	 * on guc.c's.  This may be overly paranoid, but it ensures that we cannot
+	 * accidentally free a string that syslog is still using.
+	 */
+	if (syslog_ident == NULL || strcmp(syslog_ident, ident) != 0 ||
+		syslog_facility != facility)
+	{
+		if (openlog_done)
+		{
+			closelog();
+			openlog_done = false;
+		}
+		if (syslog_ident)
+			free(syslog_ident);
+		syslog_ident = strdup(ident);
+		/* if the strdup fails, we will cope in write_syslog() */
+		syslog_facility = facility;
+	}
+}
+
+
 #ifndef PG_SYSLOG_LIMIT
 #define PG_SYSLOG_LIMIT 128
 #endif
@@ -1158,46 +1192,16 @@ DebugFileOpen(void)
 static void
 write_syslog(int level, const char *line)
 {
-	static bool openlog_done = false;
 	static unsigned long seq = 0;
 
 	int			len;
 
+	/* Open syslog connection if not done yet */
 	if (!openlog_done)
 	{
-		int		syslog_fac;
-		char   *syslog_ident;
-
-		if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL0") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL0;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL1") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL1;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL2") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL2;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL3") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL3;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL4") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL4;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL5") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL5;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL6") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL6;
-		else if (pg_strcasecmp(Syslog_facility, "LOCAL7") == 0)
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL7;
-		else
-			syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL0;
-		/*
-		 * openlog() usually just stores the passed char pointer as-is,
-		 * so we must give it a string that will be unchanged for the life of
-		 * the process.  The Syslog_ident GUC variable does not meet this
-		 * requirement, so strdup() it.  This isn't a memory leak because
-		 * this code is executed at most once per process.
-		 */
-		syslog_ident = strdup(Syslog_ident);
-		if (syslog_ident == NULL)			/* out of memory already!? */
-			syslog_ident = "postgres";
-
-		openlog(syslog_ident, LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY | LOG_NOWAIT, syslog_fac);
+		openlog(syslog_ident ? syslog_ident : "postgres",
+				LOG_PID | LOG_NDELAY | LOG_NOWAIT,
+				syslog_facility);
 		openlog_done = true;
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
index 549393ce551ed554ecf5c634e8b901d3bc3ac161..1ba1ac31d3fd7fe8060bbc94807300fb3508dd8d 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
  * Written by Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>.
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.291 2005/10/08 20:08:19 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.292 2005/10/14 20:53:56 tgl Exp $
  *
  *--------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@
 #include <limits.h>
 #include <unistd.h>
 #include <sys/stat.h>
+#ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
+#include <syslog.h>
+#endif
 
 #include "utils/guc.h"
 #include "utils/guc_tables.h"
@@ -100,10 +103,11 @@ static const char *assign_log_destination(const char *value,
 					   bool doit, GucSource source);
 
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
-extern char *Syslog_facility;
-extern char *Syslog_ident;
+static int	syslog_facility = LOG_LOCAL0;
 
-static const char *assign_facility(const char *facility,
+static const char *assign_syslog_facility(const char *facility,
+				bool doit, GucSource source);
+static const char *assign_syslog_ident(const char *ident,
 				bool doit, GucSource source);
 #endif
 
@@ -192,6 +196,8 @@ static char *log_error_verbosity_str;
 static char *log_statement_str;
 static char *log_min_error_statement_str;
 static char *log_destination_string;
+static char *syslog_facility_str;
+static char *syslog_ident_str;
 static bool phony_autocommit;
 static bool session_auth_is_superuser;
 static double phony_random_seed;
@@ -1964,22 +1970,22 @@ static struct config_string ConfigureNamesString[] =
 
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
 	{
-		{"syslog_facility", PGC_POSTMASTER, LOGGING_WHERE,
+		{"syslog_facility", PGC_SIGHUP, LOGGING_WHERE,
 			gettext_noop("Sets the syslog \"facility\" to be used when syslog enabled."),
 			gettext_noop("Valid values are LOCAL0, LOCAL1, LOCAL2, LOCAL3, "
 						 "LOCAL4, LOCAL5, LOCAL6, LOCAL7.")
 		},
-		&Syslog_facility,
-		"LOCAL0", assign_facility, NULL
+		&syslog_facility_str,
+		"LOCAL0", assign_syslog_facility, NULL
 	},
 	{
-		{"syslog_ident", PGC_POSTMASTER, LOGGING_WHERE,
-			gettext_noop("Sets the program name used to identify PostgreSQL messages "
-						 "in syslog."),
+		{"syslog_ident", PGC_SIGHUP, LOGGING_WHERE,
+			gettext_noop("Sets the program name used to identify PostgreSQL "
+						 "messages in syslog."),
 			NULL
 		},
-		&Syslog_ident,
-		"postgres", NULL, NULL
+		&syslog_ident_str,
+		"postgres", assign_syslog_ident, NULL
 	},
 #endif
 
@@ -5552,27 +5558,49 @@ assign_log_destination(const char *value, bool doit, GucSource source)
 #ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
 
 static const char *
-assign_facility(const char *facility, bool doit, GucSource source)
+assign_syslog_facility(const char *facility, bool doit, GucSource source)
 {
+	int		syslog_fac;
+
 	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL0") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL1") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL2") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL3") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL4") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL5") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL6") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL7") == 0)
-		return facility;
-	return NULL;
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL0;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL1") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL1;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL2") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL2;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL3") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL3;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL4") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL4;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL5") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL5;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL6") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL6;
+	else if (pg_strcasecmp(facility, "LOCAL7") == 0)
+		syslog_fac = LOG_LOCAL7;
+	else
+		return NULL;			/* reject */
+
+	if (doit)
+	{
+		syslog_facility = syslog_fac;
+		set_syslog_parameters(syslog_ident_str ? syslog_ident_str : "postgres",
+							  syslog_facility);
+	}
+
+	return facility;
 }
-#endif
+
+static const char *
+assign_syslog_ident(const char *ident, bool doit, GucSource source)
+{
+	if (doit)
+		set_syslog_parameters(ident, syslog_facility);
+
+	return ident;
+}
+
+#endif /* HAVE_SYSLOG */
 
 
 static const char *
diff --git a/src/include/utils/elog.h b/src/include/utils/elog.h
index f226f772911a04b024b82de54742ee381c19b2e7..264dfcc1429c540651a67ad6da922b72f84c7883 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/elog.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/elog.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2005, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/include/utils/elog.h,v 1.79 2005/06/10 16:23:10 neilc Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/include/utils/elog.h,v 1.80 2005/10/14 20:53:56 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -283,6 +283,9 @@ extern int	Log_destination;
 /* Other exported functions */
 extern void DebugFileOpen(void);
 extern char *unpack_sql_state(int sql_state);
+#ifdef HAVE_SYSLOG
+extern void set_syslog_parameters(const char *ident, int facility);
+#endif
 
 /*
  * Write errors to stderr (or by equal means when stderr is