Stephen Frost <sfr...@snowman.net> writes:
> * Tom Lane (t...@sss.pgh.pa.us) wrote:
>> Why is it that we need to lock a table at all if we're just going to dump
>> its ACL?

> I think I'm coming around to agree with that, but it seems like it'd be
> better to look at each component and say "we know X is safe, so we won't
> lock the table if we're only doing X" rather than saying "we only need to
> lock the table for case X".

Agreed.  I did not realize you'd broken down the aspects of an object so
finely in pg_dump, but since you have, this is a good way to approach it.

> When considering the components:

> - DEFINITION
> - DATA
>   [ obviously need lock ]

> - COMMENT

>   Shouldn't require a lock, only uses a relatively simple query against
>   pg_description.

> - SECLABEL

>   Similar to COMMENT, shouldn't require a lock.

> - ACL

>   ACL info is collected from pg_class relacl without any server-side
>   functions being used which would impact the result.

> - POLICY

>   Uses pg_get_expr(), which at least gets the relation name from
>   SysCache, so we'll want to lock the table.

> - USERMAP

>   Uses pg_options_to_table(), but I don't think that actually uses
>   SysCache at all, it's just taking the array provided and builds a
>   table out of it, so I think this case is ok.

USERMAP seems a bit squishy and easily broken, perhaps.  Not sure there's
an advantage to distinguishing this case --- why did you break it out
from DEFINITION to start with?  Also, AFAICS, it does not apply to tables
which are the only things we lock anyway.

Seems reasonable otherwise.

> Of course, the pg_dump would still end up including the ACLs for
> pg_authid and whatever other tables the user has changed the ACLs on and
> errors will be thrown during restore if the restore is done with a
> non-superuser.

Right, but at least you have the option of ignoring such errors.

                        regards, tom lane


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