We need to set up:

1) a test version of our database from a recent (full) dump file

2) and prepare a new slave node for replication using slony

from full and schema only dumps of the master node where the full 
database is dumped with the slony replication schema + triggers.

Is it safe to take these dump files, import the dump file, and then run 
a slonik script to remove the cluster replication info from the new test 
DB and slave nodes?

Or will this damage our existing cluster?

Here's what we're attempting (to build the test database):

# DUMP FULL DATABASE
/usr/local/pgsql/bin/pg_dump $SRC_DATABASE > $BACKUPFILE

# IMPORT THE DUMP FILE
psql $DEST_DATABASE < $BACKUPFILE

# Use the following script to remove all the slony replication info
#!/bin/bash

/usr/local/pgsql/bin/slonik << _END_

# define the cluster namespace
cluster name = $CLUSTERNAME;

# define the new test or slave node connection information
node 999 admin conninfo = 'dbname=$DEST_DATABASE host=$DEST_HOST 
user=postgres';

# uninstall the node
uninstall node (id=999);

---------------------

The thing is that this appears to have worked OK, even though the dump 
came from the master db (node=1), and we removed the replication info 
using node=999 (ie a different node number). The replication schema is 
now gone, and the triggers on replicated tables are also gone.

Is this an OK strategy for getting to use a dump file quickly and 
easily. Trying to extract the slony info from a full dump is 
mindbendingly tedious and error prone otherwise...

Can anyone confirm that this is OK? And thanks for staying with me so 
far... ;)

John Sidney-Woollett