[postgis-devel] [raster] Paths local to server

[Pierre Racine]

> > Do you see any use for the path by an external application?
> 
> Yes. Not necessarely as part as an ST_AsBinary function.
> Could be a backup application, for example, that wants to
> know what to backup and what to leave there

So how external applications should get access to the path? With ST_BandPath? 

Relying on ST_BandPath means that for in-db AND out-db rasters, applications have FIRST to query for ST_BandPath and THEN for ST_AsBinary if the raster is in-db to get the data. So two queries.

Having one version of WKB containing the path means that for in-db AND out-db rasters, the application have ONLY one query to do to know everything.
 
> > Should ST_Asbinary support both RFCs?
> 
> I don't think ST_AsBinary should reveal the internal representation.
> Rather, I wonder if another transport format for rasters is really
> needed, GDAL supports so many already...

Do you mean RFC3 should describe a format different than WKB? A format already supported by GDAL? We already have ST_AsGDALRaster, ST_AsJPEG and ST_AsPNG for that.

Pierre