Thread: [HACKERS] Small bug in replication lag tracking

[HACKERS] Small bug in replication lag tracking

From
Thomas Munro
Date:
Hi,

I discovered a thinko in the new replication lag interpolation code
that can cause a strange number to be reported occasionally.

The interpolation code is designed to report increasing lag when
replay gets stuck somewhere between two LSNs for which we have
timestamp samples.  The bug is that after sitting idle and fully
replayed for a while and then encountering a new burst of WAL
activity, we interpolate between an ancient sample and the
not-yet-reached one for the new traffic, which is inappropriate.  It's
hard to see obviously strange lag times, because they normally only
exist for a very short moment in between receiving the first and
second replies from the standby, and they often look reasonable even
if you do manage to catch one in pg_stat_replication.  You can see the
problem by pausing replay on the the standby in between two bursts of
WAL with a long period of idleness in between.

Please find attached a patch to fix that, with comments to explain.

-- 
Thomas Munro
http://www.enterprisedb.com

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Re: [HACKERS] Small bug in replication lag tracking

From
Simon Riggs
Date:
On 23 June 2017 at 06:45, Thomas Munro <thomas.munro@enterprisedb.com> wrote:

> I discovered a thinko in the new replication lag interpolation code
> that can cause a strange number to be reported occasionally.

Thanks, will review.

-- 
Simon Riggs                http://www.2ndQuadrant.com/
PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Remote DBA, Training & Services



Re: [HACKERS] Small bug in replication lag tracking

From
Simon Riggs
Date:
On 23 June 2017 at 08:18, Simon Riggs <simon@2ndquadrant.com> wrote:
> On 23 June 2017 at 06:45, Thomas Munro <thomas.munro@enterprisedb.com> wrote:
>
>> I discovered a thinko in the new replication lag interpolation code
>> that can cause a strange number to be reported occasionally.
>
> Thanks, will review.

I've pushed this, but I think we should leave the code alone after
this and wait for user feedback.

-- 
Simon Riggs                http://www.2ndQuadrant.com/
PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Remote DBA, Training & Services



Re: [HACKERS] Small bug in replication lag tracking

From
Thomas Munro
Date:
On Sat, Jun 24, 2017 at 6:07 AM, Simon Riggs <simon@2ndquadrant.com> wrote:
> On 23 June 2017 at 08:18, Simon Riggs <simon@2ndquadrant.com> wrote:
>> On 23 June 2017 at 06:45, Thomas Munro <thomas.munro@enterprisedb.com> wrote:
>>
>>> I discovered a thinko in the new replication lag interpolation code
>>> that can cause a strange number to be reported occasionally.
>>
>> Thanks, will review.
>
> I've pushed this, but I think we should leave the code alone after
> this and wait for user feedback.

Thanks!  Yeah, I haven't heard any feedback about this, which I've
been interpreting as good news...  but if anyone's looking for
something to beta test, reports would be most welcome.

-- 
Thomas Munro
http://www.enterprisedb.com