I think in the API, there is windowId in the checkpointed callback for cases when checkpointing could happen within application windows.
IMHO backward compatibility is broken. For 3 years since the platform was created the semantics of checkpointed were beginWindow(x) -> endwindow -> checkpointWindow(x) when checkpointing was aligned with application window boundaries. Please not that aligning Checkpointing with Application Window boundary is the DEFAUL behavior and I think most of us agree that aligning the checkpointing with application window boundaries is what we see in every use case. Code was written with that assumption by committers of Apex (not even by people who are new to Apex). It is broken by by a change introduced couple of months back (August 2015). Moreover, what do we achieve by NOT guaranteeing that semantics- delegate the complexity to operators to handle it. Even a simple scenario that I mentioned in my first mail, is very complicated. I think this is a big issue and we need to fix it. Chandni On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 7:12 AM, Munagala Ramanath <r...@datatorrent.com> wrote: > I too find Gaurav's argument cogent: endWindow() does not take a > windowId parameter > leading to a natural guarantee that it matches the immediately > preceding beginWindow(). > > Both committed() and checkpointed() take that parameter which suggests it > may > lag behind the current window. The comments on those methods say nothing > that can be be interpreted as a guarantee that the windowId will match the > window just processed. So, from the viewpoint of "original intent" -- > a phrase that > has a long and storied history in jurisprudence > (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_intent) -- > it seems that any code that assumed a guarantee when none existed must > be regarded > as erroneous. > > Having said that, we are all aware that in software it is not at all > unusual to preserve behavior > in the interests of backward compatibility, regardless of many other > reasons for that behavior > to be considered objectionable. So, if the cost of fixing all the code > that makes that > assumption is too high, we should seriously consider reverting it. In > this context, the > guarantee that checkpointed() simply means that the operator state has > been serialized > seems adequate. > > We have a roughly analogous situation with respect to OS write() calls: > When the call returns, we _do not_ have an assurance that the data has > gone to disk. > All we know is that the OS has copied the data to its buffers for > flushing to disk. If we > want to know when the actual write to disk is done, we need to use a > different call -- fsync(). > > Ram > > On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 6:19 AM, Pramod Immaneni <pra...@datatorrent.com> > wrote: > > I think the original intent for checkpointed callback was that it can be > > called anytime after checkpoint and not necessarily immediately after the > > window prior of checkpoint. As Gaurav mentioned the API bears it out. > > Furthermore the callback has to be called within the lifecycle methods of > > the operator so it will be called inside a window so you anyway have to > > deal with new data anyway before the callback is called. Even though > > checkpointed is not committed shouldn't it at least guarantee that the > > operator is recoverable to that state in which case it should be called > > after the save to HDFS actually finishes. > > > > Thanks > > > > On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 5:38 AM, Gaurav Gupta <gau...@datatorrent.com> > > wrote: > > > >> IMO, I don’t think there is any backward incompatibility wrt > Checkpointing > >> call back semantics because > >> > >> 1. The checkpointed call is only made once the operator state is > preserved. > >> 2. The window ids being passed to checkpointed are in increasing order. > >> 3. The window ids being passed are still the same ids as were passed > >> earlier. > >> 4. The sequence is still begingWindow()->endWindow()->checkpointed(). > >> > >> Thanks > >> - Gaurav > >> > >> > On Nov 23, 2015, at 1:03 AM, Gaurav Gupta <gau...@datatorrent.com> > >> wrote: > >> > > >> > If the requirement is that the order is always > >> begingWindow()->endWindow()->checkpointed(), why to pass windowId in the > >> checkpointed() call back? > >> > > >> > Thanks > >> > - Gaurav > >> > > >> >> On Nov 22, 2015, at 11:22 PM, Chandni Singh <chan...@datatorrent.com > >> <mailto:chan...@datatorrent.com>> wrote: > >> >> > >> >> FYI, > >> >> > >> >> HDHTWriter implementation is dependent on the older semantics and > seems > >> to > >> >> be broken now. > >> >> startWindow(x) -> endWindow(x) -> checkpointed(x) > >> >> In the checkpointed implementation, it copies certain state > (transient) > >> and > >> >> transfers it to a checkpointedWriteCache with respect to window 'x'. > >> >> > >> >> With Async checkpointing it, the state that is transferred is much > more > >> >> recent than window 'x'. > >> >> > >> >> Chandni > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 11:04 PM, Chandni Singh < > >> chan...@datatorrent.com <mailto:chan...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >> wrote: > >> >> > >> >>> Agreed. Thomas's solution fixes the backward incompatibility. I > think > >> we > >> >>> really need to fix this. > >> >>> > >> >>> On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 10:23 PM, Timothy Farkas < > t...@datatorrent.com > >> <mailto:t...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>> wrote: > >> >>> > >> >>>> Gaurav, > >> >>>> > >> >>>> I think if the state copy fails then STRAM should roll back the > >> operator > >> >>>> to > >> >>>> a checkpoint that is further back than the last checkpoint. If you > are > >> >>>> saying that you want to preserve the semantic that checkpointed is > >> only > >> >>>> called after a checkpoint is completed, I would argue that that > >> guarantee > >> >>>> is already pointless in the current implementation since it is > always > >> >>>> possible for an operator to be rolled back to a checkpoint before > it's > >> >>>> last > >> >>>> completed checkpoint. So, it is already currently possible for some > >> >>>> database or file operation performed after a completed checkpoint > to > >> be > >> >>>> redone after a failure. Because of this I think Thomas's solution > >> makes > >> >>>> the > >> >>>> most sense. Thomas's solution would also address Chandni's original > >> point > >> >>>> that the semantics for the checkpointed call back have been > violated. > >> >>>> There > >> >>>> are operators in our libraries that have depended on the > >> beginWindow(x), > >> >>>> endWindow(x), and checkpointed(x) call sequence, which is now > broken. > >> We > >> >>>> should probably fix that. > >> >>>> > >> >>>> Tim > >> >>>> > >> >>>> On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 10:02 PM, Gaurav Gupta < > >> gau...@datatorrent.com <mailto:gau...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>>> wrote: > >> >>>> > >> >>>>> Thomas, > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>> This was done to preserve checkpointing semantics that is to tell > the > >> >>>>> operator that its state is preserved. Say if database is updated > or > >> >>>> files > >> >>>>> are moved in checkpointed call but the state copy fails, how to > >> address > >> >>>>> such scenarios? > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>> Thanks > >> >>>>> - Gaurav > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>>> On Nov 22, 2015, at 9:44 PM, Thomas Weise < > tho...@datatorrent.com > >> <mailto:tho...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>>>> wrote: > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> Alternatively I would ask why the checkpointed callback needs to > >> wait > >> >>>>> until > >> >>>>>> the data was copied to HDFS instead upon completion of the state > >> >>>>>> serialization. > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> Thomas > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>> On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 9:41 PM, Chandni Singh < > >> >>>> chan...@datatorrent.com <mailto:chan...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>>>>> wrote: > >> >>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> Gaurav, > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> My question is about why Async was made the default when it > changed > >> >>>> the > >> >>>>>>> semantics of operator callbacks. Your response doesn't answer > that. > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> In a way we broke backward compatibility. > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> Chandni > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> On Sun, Nov 22, 2015 at 9:22 PM, Gaurav Gupta < > >> >>>> gau...@datatorrent.com <mailto:gau...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>>>>>> wrote: > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>> The idea behind Async checkpointing is to unblock operator > while > >> the > >> >>>>>>> state > >> >>>>>>>> is getting transferred to HDFS. > >> >>>>>>>> Just to clarify that this beginWindow (x) -> endWindow(x) -> > >> >>>>> checkpointed > >> >>>>>>>> (x-1 ) should be an ideal sequence, but if the HDFS is slow or > for > >> >>>> some > >> >>>>>>>> other reason transferring the state to HDFS is slow this > sequence > >> >>>> may > >> >>>>> not > >> >>>>>>>> hold true. > >> >>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>> Can your use case be addressed by > >> >>>>>>>> https://malhar.atlassian.net/browse/APEX-78 < > >> https://malhar.atlassian.net/browse/APEX-78> < > >> >>>>>>>> https://malhar.atlassian.net/browse/APEX-78 < > >> https://malhar.atlassian.net/browse/APEX-78>>? > >> >>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>> Thanks > >> >>>>>>>> - Gaurav > >> >>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> On Nov 22, 2015, at 3:56 PM, Chandni Singh < > >> >>>> chan...@datatorrent.com <mailto:chan...@datatorrent.com>> > >> >>>>>>>> wrote: > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> With Async checkpointing the checkpoint callback in > >> CheckpointPoint > >> >>>>>>>>> listener is called for a previous window, that is, > >> >>>>>>>>> beginWindow (x) -> endWindow(x) -> checkpointed (x-1 ) > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> This feature was newly introduced. With synchronous > >> checkpointing, > >> >>>> the > >> >>>>>>>>> behavior was always > >> >>>>>>>>> beginWindow(x) -> endWindow(x) -> checkpointed (x) > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> A lot of operators were written before asynchronous > checkpointing > >> >>>> was > >> >>>>>>>>> introduced and few of them can rely on the sequencing > guaranteed > >> by > >> >>>>>>>>> synchronous checkpointing. > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> So why was Async Checkpointed made default? > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> With how Async checkpoint is today, the complexity to handle > >> >>>> transient > >> >>>>>>>>> state in checkpointed callback falls on every operator. For > eg, > >> >>>> lets > >> >>>>>>> say > >> >>>>>>>>> earlier I had a transient map which I cleared every time the > >> >>>>>>> checkpointed > >> >>>>>>>>> was called, with async checkpointing this simple task will be > a > >> lot > >> >>>>>>> more > >> >>>>>>>>> complicated. > >> >>>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>>> I think Async checkpointing broke the semantics of operator > >> >>>> callbacks > >> >>>>>>> and > >> >>>>>>>>> should NOT be the default. > >> >>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>>> > >> >>>>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> >>>>> > >> >>>> > >> >>> > >> >>> > >> > > >> > >> >
