In 9.0 (as in earlier versions) a former standby host has to do a full
checkpoint before becoming available as an independent database instance
in either switchover or failover scenarios.
For most combinations of of bigger than minimal shared buffers and
non-memory-speed disks this can take from several seconds to tens of
minutes on busy systems.
Is the pre-activation checkpoint still required in 9.1 ?
The reason I ask is that I'm looking into making planned switchovers and
adding partitions more instantaneous.
Streaming replication provides replica lag of only millisecond vs. high
tens or even hundreds of milliseconds achievable on trigger-based
replication systems like Londiste.
Where Londiste currently wins, is the ability to become available
instantaneously without any checkpoint or other lengthy maintenance
operations.
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Hannu Krosing
PostgreSQL Infinite Scalability and Performance Consultant
PG Admin Book: http://www.2ndQuadrant.com/books/