Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-08-22 Thread Fujii Masao
On Fri, Aug 17, 2012 at 8:38 AM, Bruce Momjian  wrote:
> On Thu, Mar  8, 2012 at 08:20:02AM -0500, Robert Haas wrote:
>> On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 8:57 AM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>> > On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:27 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:
>> >
>> >> One thing I would like to ask is that why you think walreceiver is more
>> >> appropriate for writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record than startup
>> >> process. I was thinking the opposite, because if we do so, we might be
>> >> able to skip the end-of-recovery checkpoint even in file-based 
>> >> log-shipping
>> >> case.
>> >
>> > Right now, WALReceiver has one code path/use case.
>> >
>> > Startup has so many, its much harder to know whether we'll screw up one of 
>> > them.
>> >
>> > If we can add it in either place then I choose the simplest, most
>> > relevant place. If the code is the same, we can move it around later.
>> >
>> > Let me write the code and then we can think some more.
>>
>> Are we still considering trying to do this for 9.2?  Seems it's been
>> over a month without a new patch, and it's not entirely clear that we
>> know what the design should be.
>
> Did this get completed?

No, not yet.

Regards,

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-08-16 Thread Bruce Momjian
On Thu, Mar  8, 2012 at 08:20:02AM -0500, Robert Haas wrote:
> On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 8:57 AM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
> > On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:27 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:
> >
> >> One thing I would like to ask is that why you think walreceiver is more
> >> appropriate for writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record than startup
> >> process. I was thinking the opposite, because if we do so, we might be
> >> able to skip the end-of-recovery checkpoint even in file-based log-shipping
> >> case.
> >
> > Right now, WALReceiver has one code path/use case.
> >
> > Startup has so many, its much harder to know whether we'll screw up one of 
> > them.
> >
> > If we can add it in either place then I choose the simplest, most
> > relevant place. If the code is the same, we can move it around later.
> >
> > Let me write the code and then we can think some more.
> 
> Are we still considering trying to do this for 9.2?  Seems it's been
> over a month without a new patch, and it's not entirely clear that we
> know what the design should be.

Did this get completed?

-- 
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  + It's impossible for everything to be true. +


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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-03-09 Thread Robert Haas
On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 3:00 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 1:20 PM, Robert Haas  wrote:
>
>> Are we still considering trying to do this for 9.2?  Seems it's been
>> over a month without a new patch, and it's not entirely clear that we
>> know what the design should be.
>
> It's important, but not ready.

Thanks for the update.

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-03-09 Thread Simon Riggs
On Thu, Mar 8, 2012 at 1:20 PM, Robert Haas  wrote:

> Are we still considering trying to do this for 9.2?  Seems it's been
> over a month without a new patch, and it's not entirely clear that we
> know what the design should be.

It's important, but not ready.

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-03-08 Thread Robert Haas
On Sat, Jan 28, 2012 at 8:57 AM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:27 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:
>
>> One thing I would like to ask is that why you think walreceiver is more
>> appropriate for writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record than startup
>> process. I was thinking the opposite, because if we do so, we might be
>> able to skip the end-of-recovery checkpoint even in file-based log-shipping
>> case.
>
> Right now, WALReceiver has one code path/use case.
>
> Startup has so many, its much harder to know whether we'll screw up one of 
> them.
>
> If we can add it in either place then I choose the simplest, most
> relevant place. If the code is the same, we can move it around later.
>
> Let me write the code and then we can think some more.

Are we still considering trying to do this for 9.2?  Seems it's been
over a month without a new patch, and it's not entirely clear that we
know what the design should be.

-- 
Robert Haas
EnterpriseDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com
The Enterprise PostgreSQL Company

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-01-28 Thread Simon Riggs
On Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 5:27 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:

> One thing I would like to ask is that why you think walreceiver is more
> appropriate for writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record than startup
> process. I was thinking the opposite, because if we do so, we might be
> able to skip the end-of-recovery checkpoint even in file-based log-shipping
> case.

Right now, WALReceiver has one code path/use case.

Startup has so many, its much harder to know whether we'll screw up one of them.

If we can add it in either place then I choose the simplest, most
relevant place. If the code is the same, we can move it around later.

Let me write the code and then we can think some more.

-- 
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 PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training & Services

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-01-25 Thread Fujii Masao
On Fri, Jan 20, 2012 at 12:33 AM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
> On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 7:15 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:
>> On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 5:13 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>>> On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>>>
 When I say skip the shutdown checkpoint, I mean remove it from the
 critical path of required actions at the end of recovery. We can still
 have a normal checkpoint kicked off at that time, but that no longer
 needs to be on the critical path.

 Any problems foreseen? If not, looks like a quick patch.
>>>
>>> Patch attached for discussion/review.
>>
>> This feature is what I want, and very helpful to shorten the failover time in
>> streaming replication.
>>
>> Here are the review comments. Though I've not checked enough whether
>> this feature works fine in all recovery patterns yet.
>>
>> LocalSetXLogInsertAllowed() must be called before LogEndOfRecovery().
>> LocalXLogInsertAllowed must be set to -1 after LogEndOfRecovery().
>>
>> XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written to the WAL file with new
>> assigned timeline ID. But it must be written to the WAL file with old one.
>> Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery after failover, we cannot find
>> XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record at all.
>>
>> Before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written,
>> RmgrTable[rmid].rm_cleanup() might write WAL records. They also
>> should be written to the WAL file with old timeline ID.
>>
>> When recovery target is specified, we cannot write new WAL to the file
>> with old timeline because which means that valid WAL records in it are
>> overwritten with new WAL. So when recovery target is specified,
>> ISTM that we cannot skip end of recovery checkpoint. Or we might need
>> to save all information about timelines in the database cluster instead
>> of writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, and use it when re-entering
>> a recovery.
>>
>> LogEndOfRecovery() seems to need to call XLogFlush(). Otherwise,
>> what if the server crashes after new timeline history file is created and
>> recovery.conf is removed, but before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record
>> has not been flushed to the disk yet?
>>
>> During recovery, when we replay XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, we
>> should close the currently-opened WAL file and read the WAL file with
>> the timeline which XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record indicates.
>> Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery with old timeline, we cannot
>> reach new timeline.
>
>
>
> OK, some bad things there, thanks for the insightful comments.
>
>
>
> I think you're right that we can't skip the checkpoint if xlog_cleanup
> writes WAL records, since that implies at least one and maybe more
> blocks have changed and need to be flushed. That can be improved upon,
> but not now in 9.2.Cleanup WAL is written in either the old or the new
> timeline, depending upon whether we increment it. So we don't need to
> change anything there, IMHO.
>
> The big problem is how we handle crash recovery after we startup
> without a checkpoint. No quick fixes there.
>
> So let me rethink this: The idea was that we can skip the checkpoint
> if we promote to normal running during streaming replication.
>
> WALReceiver has been writing to WAL files, so can write more data
> without all of the problems noted. Rather than write the
> XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record via XLogInsert we should write that **from
> the WALreceiver** as a dummy record by direct injection into the WAL
> stream. So the Startup process sees a WAL record that looks like it
> was written by the primary saying "promote yourself", although it was
> actually written locally by WALreceiver when requested to shutdown.
> That doesn't damage anything because we know we've received all the
> WAL there is. Most importantly we don't need to change any of the
> logic in a way that endangers the other code paths at end of recovery.
>
> Writing the record in that way means we would need to calculate the
> new tli slightly earlier, so we can input the correct value into the
> record. That also solves the problem of how to get additional standbys
> to follow the new master. The XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is simply
> the contents of the newly written tli history file.
>
> If we skip the checkpoint and then crash before the next checkpoint we
> just change timeline when we see XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY. When we replay
> the XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY we copy the contents to the appropriate tli
> file and then switch to it.
>
> So this solves 2 problems: having other standbys follow us when they
> don't have archiving, and avoids the checkpoint.
>
> Let me know what you think.

Looks good to me.

One thing I would like to ask is that why you think walreceiver is more
appropriate for writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record than startup
process. I was thinking the opposite, because if we do so, we might be
able to skip the end-of-recovery checkpoint even in file-based log-shipping
case.

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao
NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
NTT Open Source Software 

Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-01-19 Thread Simon Riggs
On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 7:15 AM, Fujii Masao  wrote:
> On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 5:13 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>> On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>>
>>> When I say skip the shutdown checkpoint, I mean remove it from the
>>> critical path of required actions at the end of recovery. We can still
>>> have a normal checkpoint kicked off at that time, but that no longer
>>> needs to be on the critical path.
>>>
>>> Any problems foreseen? If not, looks like a quick patch.
>>
>> Patch attached for discussion/review.
>
> This feature is what I want, and very helpful to shorten the failover time in
> streaming replication.
>
> Here are the review comments. Though I've not checked enough whether
> this feature works fine in all recovery patterns yet.
>
> LocalSetXLogInsertAllowed() must be called before LogEndOfRecovery().
> LocalXLogInsertAllowed must be set to -1 after LogEndOfRecovery().
>
> XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written to the WAL file with new
> assigned timeline ID. But it must be written to the WAL file with old one.
> Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery after failover, we cannot find
> XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record at all.
>
> Before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written,
> RmgrTable[rmid].rm_cleanup() might write WAL records. They also
> should be written to the WAL file with old timeline ID.
>
> When recovery target is specified, we cannot write new WAL to the file
> with old timeline because which means that valid WAL records in it are
> overwritten with new WAL. So when recovery target is specified,
> ISTM that we cannot skip end of recovery checkpoint. Or we might need
> to save all information about timelines in the database cluster instead
> of writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, and use it when re-entering
> a recovery.
>
> LogEndOfRecovery() seems to need to call XLogFlush(). Otherwise,
> what if the server crashes after new timeline history file is created and
> recovery.conf is removed, but before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record
> has not been flushed to the disk yet?
>
> During recovery, when we replay XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, we
> should close the currently-opened WAL file and read the WAL file with
> the timeline which XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record indicates.
> Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery with old timeline, we cannot
> reach new timeline.



OK, some bad things there, thanks for the insightful comments.



I think you're right that we can't skip the checkpoint if xlog_cleanup
writes WAL records, since that implies at least one and maybe more
blocks have changed and need to be flushed. That can be improved upon,
but not now in 9.2.Cleanup WAL is written in either the old or the new
timeline, depending upon whether we increment it. So we don't need to
change anything there, IMHO.

The big problem is how we handle crash recovery after we startup
without a checkpoint. No quick fixes there.

So let me rethink this: The idea was that we can skip the checkpoint
if we promote to normal running during streaming replication.

WALReceiver has been writing to WAL files, so can write more data
without all of the problems noted. Rather than write the
XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record via XLogInsert we should write that **from
the WALreceiver** as a dummy record by direct injection into the WAL
stream. So the Startup process sees a WAL record that looks like it
was written by the primary saying "promote yourself", although it was
actually written locally by WALreceiver when requested to shutdown.
That doesn't damage anything because we know we've received all the
WAL there is. Most importantly we don't need to change any of the
logic in a way that endangers the other code paths at end of recovery.

Writing the record in that way means we would need to calculate the
new tli slightly earlier, so we can input the correct value into the
record. That also solves the problem of how to get additional standbys
to follow the new master. The XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is simply
the contents of the newly written tli history file.

If we skip the checkpoint and then crash before the next checkpoint we
just change timeline when we see XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY. When we replay
the XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY we copy the contents to the appropriate tli
file and then switch to it.

So this solves 2 problems: having other standbys follow us when they
don't have archiving, and avoids the checkpoint.

Let me know what you think.

-- 
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 PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training & Services

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2012-01-17 Thread Fujii Masao
On Sun, Nov 13, 2011 at 5:13 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
> On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:
>
>> When I say skip the shutdown checkpoint, I mean remove it from the
>> critical path of required actions at the end of recovery. We can still
>> have a normal checkpoint kicked off at that time, but that no longer
>> needs to be on the critical path.
>>
>> Any problems foreseen? If not, looks like a quick patch.
>
> Patch attached for discussion/review.

This feature is what I want, and very helpful to shorten the failover time in
streaming replication.

Here are the review comments. Though I've not checked enough whether
this feature works fine in all recovery patterns yet.

LocalSetXLogInsertAllowed() must be called before LogEndOfRecovery().
LocalXLogInsertAllowed must be set to -1 after LogEndOfRecovery().

XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written to the WAL file with new
assigned timeline ID. But it must be written to the WAL file with old one.
Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery after failover, we cannot find
XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record at all.

Before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record is written,
RmgrTable[rmid].rm_cleanup() might write WAL records. They also
should be written to the WAL file with old timeline ID.

When recovery target is specified, we cannot write new WAL to the file
with old timeline because which means that valid WAL records in it are
overwritten with new WAL. So when recovery target is specified,
ISTM that we cannot skip end of recovery checkpoint. Or we might need
to save all information about timelines in the database cluster instead
of writing XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, and use it when re-entering
a recovery.

LogEndOfRecovery() seems to need to call XLogFlush(). Otherwise,
what if the server crashes after new timeline history file is created and
recovery.conf is removed, but before XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record
has not been flushed to the disk yet?

During recovery, when we replay XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record, we
should close the currently-opened WAL file and read the WAL file with
the timeline which XLOG_END_OF_RECOVERY record indicates.
Otherwise, when re-entering a recovery with old timeline, we cannot
reach new timeline.

Regards,

-- 
Fujii Masao
NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
NTT Open Source Software Center

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2011-11-28 Thread Greg Smith

On 11/13/2011 12:13 AM, Simon Riggs wrote:

On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:


When I say skip the shutdown checkpoint, I mean remove it from the
critical path of required actions at the end of recovery. We can still
have a normal checkpoint kicked off at that time, but that no longer
needs to be on the critical path.

Any problems foreseen? If not, looks like a quick patch.

Patch attached for discussion/review.


This one was missed for the November CF; submitted in time but not added 
to the app until just now.  Given that Tom already voiced some specific 
things to consider ("detailed review of all WAL replay activities") I 
added it to the January one instead.  If anyone has been looking for 
reason to study WAL replay, by all means knock yourself out before then.



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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2011-11-13 Thread Simon Riggs
On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM, Simon Riggs  wrote:

> When I say skip the shutdown checkpoint, I mean remove it from the
> critical path of required actions at the end of recovery. We can still
> have a normal checkpoint kicked off at that time, but that no longer
> needs to be on the critical path.
>
> Any problems foreseen? If not, looks like a quick patch.

Patch attached for discussion/review.

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 PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training & Services


fast_failover.v1.patch
Description: Binary data

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2011-11-01 Thread Simon Riggs
On Tue, Nov 1, 2011 at 1:48 PM, Tom Lane  wrote:
> Simon Riggs  writes:
>> The reason we run a shutdown checkpoint is to prevent needing to
>> re-enter recovery if we crash after promotion.
>
> That's *a* reason, it's not necessarily the only reason.  This proposal
> worries me, especially your blithe dismissal of the timeline issues;
> but in any case I would not trust it without a detailed review of all
> WAL replay activities, which you don't sound to have done.

What timeline issues are you thinking of? Timelines were invented to
avoid confusion with PITR. The reality is that they don't have much
reason to exist in the world of replication and could be dispensed
with in that context easily if there are issues associated with them.

I believe the solution to be simple and wish it had occurred to me earlier.

If you can think of a reason to not do this, let me know.

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Re: [HACKERS] Avoiding shutdown checkpoint at failover

2011-11-01 Thread Tom Lane
Simon Riggs  writes:
> The reason we run a shutdown checkpoint is to prevent needing to
> re-enter recovery if we crash after promotion.

That's *a* reason, it's not necessarily the only reason.  This proposal
worries me, especially your blithe dismissal of the timeline issues;
but in any case I would not trust it without a detailed review of all
WAL replay activities, which you don't sound to have done.

regards, tom lane

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