From 9ba73d2209a1e236fd9bde55027856b31e3f5a42 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Pavel Borisov Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2022 23:20:11 +0400 Subject: [PATCH v6] README for 64bit xid Authors: - Pavel Borisov - Maxim Orlov - Yura Sokolov --- src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 | 128 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 128 insertions(+) create mode 100644 src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 diff --git a/src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 b/src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..457ba9b9ef5 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 @@ -0,0 +1,128 @@ +src/backend/access/heap/README.XID64 + +64-bit Transaction ID's (XID) +============================= + +A limited number (N = 2^32) of XID's required to do vacuum freeze to prevent +wraparound every N/2 transactions. This causes performance degradation due +to the need to exclusively lock tables while being vacuumed. In each +wraparound cycle, SLRU buffers are also being cut. + +With 64-bit XID's wraparound is effectively postponed to a very distant +future. Even in highly loaded systems that had 2^32 transactions per day +it will take huge 2^31 days before the first enforced "vacuum to prevent +wraparound"). Buffers cutting and routine vacuum are not enforced, and DBA +can plan them independently at the time with the least system load and least +critical for database performance. Also, it can be done less frequently +(several times a year vs every several days) on systems with transaction rates +similar to those mentioned above. + +On-disk tuple and page format +----------------------------- + +On-disk tuple format remains unchanged. 32-bit t_xmin and t_xmax store the +lower parts of 64-bit XMIN and XMAX values. Each heap page has additional +64-bit pd_xid_base and pd_multi_base which are common for all tuples on a page. +They are placed into a pd_special area - 16 bytes in the end of a heap page. +Actual XMIN/XMAX for a tuple are calculated upon reading a tuple from a page +as follows: + +XMIN = t_xmin + pd_xid_base. (1) +XMAX = t_xmax + pd_xid_base/pd_multi_base. (2) + +"Double XMAX" page format +--------------------------------- + +At first read of a heap page after pg_upgrade from 32-bit XID PostgreSQL +version pd_special area with a size of 16 bytes should be added to a page. +Though a page may not have space for this. Then it can be converted to a +temporary format called "double XMAX". + +All tuples after pg-upgrade would necessarily have xmin = FrozenTransactionId. +So we don't need tuple header t_xmin field and we reuse t_xmin to store higher +32 bits of its XMAX. + +Double XMAX format is only for full pages that don't have 16 bytes for +pd_special. So it neither has a place for a single tuple. Insert and HOT update +for double XMAX pages is impossible and not supported. We can only read or +delete tuples from it. + +When we are able to prune page double XMAX it will be converted from it to +general 64-bit XID page format with all operations on its tuples supported. + +In-memory tuple format +---------------------- + +In-memory tuple representation consists of two parts: +- HeapTupleHeader from disk page (contains all heap tuple contents, not only +header) +- HeapTuple with additional in-memory fields + +HeapTuple for each tuple in memory stores t_xid_base/t_multi_base - a copies of +page's pd_xid_base/pd_multi_base. With tuple's 32-bit t_xmin and t_xmax from +HeapTupleHeader they are used to calculate actual 64-bit XMIN and XMAX: + +XMIN = t_xmin + t_xid_base. (3) +XMAX = t_xmax + t_xid_base/t_multi_base. (4) + +The downside of this is that we can not use tuple's XMIN and XMAX right away. +We often need to re-read t_xmin and t_xmax - which could actually be pointers +into a page in shared buffers and therefore they could be updated by any other +backend. + +Update/delete with 64-bit XIDs and 32-bit t_xmin/t_xmax +-------------------------------------------------------------- + +When we try to delete/update a tuple, we check that XMAX for a page fits (2). +I.e. that t_xmax will not be over MaxShortTransactionId relative to +pd_xid_base/pd_multi_base of a its page. + +If the current XID doesn't fit a range +(pd_xid_base, pd_xid_base + MaxShortTransactionId) (5): + +- heap_page_prepare_for_xid() will try to increase pd_xid_base/pd_multi_base on +a page and update all t_xmin/t_xmax of the other tuples on the page to +correspond new pd_xid_base/pd_multi_base. + +- If it was impossible, it will try to prune and freeze tuples on a page. + +- If this is unsuccessful it will throw an error. Normally this is very +unlikely but if there is a very old living transaction with an age of around +2^32 this can arise. Basically, this is a behavior similar to one during the +vacuum to prevent wraparound when XID was 32-bit. Dba should take care and +avoid very-long-living transactions with an age close to 2^32. So long-living +transactions often they are most likely defunct. + +Insert with 64-bit XIDs and 32-bit t_xmin/t_xmax +------------------------------------------------ + +On insert we check if current XID fits a range (5). Otherwise: + +- heap_page_prepare_for_xid() will try to increase pd_xid_base for t_xmin will +not be over MaxShortTransactionId. + +- If it is impossible, then it will try to prune and freeze tuples on a page. + +Known issue: if pd_xid_base could not be shifted to accommodate a tuple being +inserted due to a very long-running transaction, we just throw an error. We +neither try to insert a tuple into another page nor mark the current page as +full. So, in this (unlikely) case we will get regular insert errors on the next +tries to insert to the page 'locked' by this very long-running transaction. + +Upgrade from 32-bit XID versions +-------------------------------- + +pg_upgrade doesn't change pages format itself. It is done lazily after. + +1. At first heap page read, tuples on a page are repacked to free 16 bytes +at the end of a page, possibly freeing space from dead tuples. + +2A. 16 bytes of pd_special is added if there is a place for it + +2B. Page is converted to "Double XMAX" format if there is no place for +pd_special + +3. If a page is in double XMAX format after its first read, and vacuum (or +micro-vacuum at select query) could prune some tuples and free space for +pd_special, prune_page will add pd_special and convert page from double XMAX +to general 64-bit XID page format. -- 2.24.3 (Apple Git-128)