Re: pgsql: Refactor how some aux processes advertise their ProcNumber - Mailing list pgsql-committers

From Heikki Linnakangas
Subject Re: pgsql: Refactor how some aux processes advertise their ProcNumber
Date
Msg-id a0edd713-9786-445a-8fd6-0fb30d7038f1@iki.fi
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In response to Re: pgsql: Refactor how some aux processes advertise their ProcNumber  (Fujii Masao <masao.fujii@gmail.com>)
Responses Re: pgsql: Refactor how some aux processes advertise their ProcNumber
Re: pgsql: Refactor how some aux processes advertise their ProcNumber
List pgsql-committers
On 09/07/2026 03:57, Fujii Masao wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 9, 2026 at 6:57 AM Thom Brown <thom@linux.com> wrote:
>> @@ -724,6 +725,14 @@ InitAuxiliaryProcess(void)
>>       */
>>      PGSemaphoreReset(MyProc->sem);
>>
>> +   /* Some aux processes are also advertised in ProcGlobal */
>> +   if (MyBackendType == B_AUTOVAC_LAUNCHER)
>> +       pg_atomic_write_u32(&ProcGlobal->avLauncherProc, MyProcNumber);
>>
>> I'm looking for the places this gets called from. I can only see
>> auxprocess.c which the launcher doesn't go through. The same question
>> for similar code in AuxiliaryProcKill().
> 
> You're right. The autovacuum launcher does not go through
> AuxiliaryProcessMainCommon(), so it never calls
> InitAuxiliaryProcess(). Instead, it initializes its PGPROC with
> InitProcess().
> 
> As a result, the avLauncherProc assignment added to
> InitAuxiliaryProcess() is never executed for the launcher, and the
> corresponding cleanup in AuxiliaryProcKill() is never reached either.

Huh, you're right. That raises some questions:

Why is the autovacuum launcher not an aux process? I guess it's because 
it needs to acquire a heavy-weight lock in order to read the list of 
databases.

How come none of the tests failed? I guess the path to wake up the 
launcher isn't critical for correctness, it just makes autovacuum slower 
to react.

> It seems we should move the avLauncherProc set/clear operations to
> InitProcess()/ProcKill() path, as in the attached patch.
Thanks! Committed that, and also Nathan's volatile removal.

- Heikki




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