Re: [HACKERS] Re: pgsql: Use a latch to make startup process wake up and replay - Mailing list pgsql-committers

On Wed, 2010-09-15 at 13:58 -0400, Robert Haas wrote:
> > It's not actually a major issue, but at some point I have to ask for
> no
> > more commits, so Fujii and I can finish our patches, compare and
> > contrast, so the best ideas can get into Postgres.
>
> I don't think anyone is prepared to agree to that.  I think that
> everyone is prepared to accept a limited amount of further delay in
> pressing forward with the main part of sync rep, but I expect that no
> one will be willing to freeze out incremental improvements in the
> meantime, even if it does induce a certain amount of rebasing.

> It's
> also worth noting that Fujii Masao's patch has been around for months,
> and yours isn't finished yet.  That's not to say that we don't want to
> consider your ideas, because we do: and you've had more than your
> share of good ones.  At the same time, it would be unfair and
> unreasonable to expect work on a patch that is done, and has been done
> for some time, to wait on one that isn't.

I understand your viewpoint there. I'm sure we all agree sync rep is a
very important feature that must get into the next release.

The only reason my patch exists is because debate around my ideas was
ruled out on various grounds. One of those was it would take so long to
develop we shouldn't risk not getting sync rep in this release. I am
amenable to such arguments (and I make the same one on MERGE, btw, where
I am getting seriously worried) but the reality is that there is
actually very little code here and we can definitely do this, whatever
ideas we pick. I've shown this by providing an almost working version in
about 4 days work. Will finishing it help?

We definitely have the time, so the question is, what are the best
ideas? We must discuss the ideas properly, not just plough forwards
claiming time pressure when it isn't actually an issue at all. We *need*
to put the tools down and talk in detail about the best way forwards.

Before, I had no patch. Now mine "isn't finished". At what point will my
ideas be reviewed without instant dismissal? If we accept your seniority
argument, then "never" because even if I finish it you'll say "Fujii was
there first".

If who mentioned it first was important, then I'd say I've been
discussing this for literally years (late 2006) and have regularly
explained the benefits of the master-side approach I've outlined on list
every time this has come up (every few months). I have also explained
the implementation details many times as well an I'm happy to say that
latches are pretty much exactly what I described earlier. (I called them
LSN queues, similar to lwlocks, IIRC). But thats not the whole deal.

If we simply wanted a patch that was "done" we would have gone with
Zoltan's wouldn't we, based on the seniority argument you use above?
Zoltan's patch didn't perform well at all. Fujii's performs much better.
However, my proposed approach offers even better performance, so
whatever argument you use to include Fujii's also applies to mine
doesn't it? But that's silly and divisive, its not about who's patch
"wins" is it?

Do we have to benchmark multiple patches to prove which is best? If
that's the criteria I'll finish my patch and demonstrate that.

But it doesn't make sense to start committing pieces of Fujii's patch,
so that I can't ever keep up and as a result "Simon never finished his
patch, but it sounded good".

Next steps should be: tools down, discuss what to do. Then go forwards.

We have time, so lets discuss all of the ideas on the table not just
some of them.

For me this is not about the number or names of parameters, its about
master-side control of sync rep and having very good performance.

--
 Simon Riggs           www.2ndQuadrant.com
 PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training and Services