Re: Synchronizing slots from primary to standby

On Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 2:18 PM Amit Kapila <amit.kapila16@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 7:27 AM Peter Smith <smithpb2250@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > I saw that v73-0001 was pushed, but it included some last-minute
> > changes that I did not get a chance to check yesterday.
> >
> > Here are some review comments for the new parts of that patch.
> >
> > ======
> > doc/src/sgml/ref/create_subscription.sgml
> >
> > 1.
> > connect (boolean)
> >
> >     Specifies whether the CREATE SUBSCRIPTION command should connect
> > to the publisher at all. The default is true. Setting this to false
> > will force the values of create_slot, enabled, copy_data, and failover
> > to false. (You cannot combine setting connect to false with setting
> > create_slot, enabled, copy_data, or failover to true.)
> >
> > ~
> >
> > I don't think the first part "Setting this to false will force the
> > values ... failover to false." is strictly correct.
> >
> > I think is correct to say all those *other* properties (create_slot,
> > enabled, copy_data) are forced to false because those otherwise have
> > default true values.
> >
>
> So, won't when connect=false, the user has to explicitly provide such
> values (create_slot, enabled, etc.) as false? If so, is using 'force'
> strictly correct?

Perhaps the original docs text could be worded differently; I think
the word "force" here just meant setting connection=false
forces/causes/makes those other options behave "as if" they had been
set to false without the user explicitly doing anything to them. The
point is they are made to behave *differently* to their normal
defaults.

So,
connect=false ==> this actually sets enabled=false (you can see this
with \dRs+), which is different to the default setting of 'enabled'
connect=false ==> will not create a slot (because there is no
connection), which is different to the default behaviour for
'create-slot'
connect=false ==> will not copy tables (because there is no
connection), which is different to the default behaviour for
'copy_data;'

OTOH, failover is different
connect=false ==> failover is not possible (because there is no
connection), but the 'failover' default is false anyway, so no change
to the default behaviour for this one.

>
> > ~~~
> >
> > 2.
> >           <para>
> >            Since no connection is made when this option is
> >            <literal>false</literal>, no tables are subscribed. To initiate
> >            replication, you must manually create the replication slot, enable
> > -          the subscription, and refresh the subscription. See
> > +          the failover if required, enable the subscription, and refresh the
> > +          subscription. See
> >            <xref
> > linkend="logical-replication-subscription-examples-deferred-slot"/>
> >            for examples.
> >           </para>
> >
> > IMO "see the failover if required" is very vague. See what failover?
> >
>
> AFAICS, the committed docs says: "To initiate replication, you must
> manually create the replication slot, enable the failover if required,
> ...". I am not sure what you are referring to.
>

My mistake. I was misreading the patch code without applying the
patch. Sorry for the noise.

> >
> > ======
> > src/bin/pg_upgrade/t/004_subscription.pl
> >
> > 5.
> > -# The subscription's running status should be preserved. Old subscription
> > -# regress_sub1 should be enabled and old subscription regress_sub2 should be
> > -# disabled.
> > +# The subscription's running status and failover option should be preserved.
> > +# Old subscription regress_sub1 should have enabled and failover as true while
> > +# old subscription regress_sub2 should have enabled and failover as false.
> >  $result =
> >    $new_sub->safe_psql('postgres',
> > - "SELECT subname, subenabled FROM pg_subscription ORDER BY subname");
> > -is( $result, qq(regress_sub1|t
> > -regress_sub2|f),
> > + "SELECT subname, subenabled, subfailover FROM pg_subscription ORDER
> > BY subname");
> > +is( $result, qq(regress_sub1|t|t
> > +regress_sub2|f|f),
> >   "check that the subscription's running status are preserved");
> >
> > ~
> >
> > Calling those "old subscriptions" seems misleading. Aren't these the
> > new/upgraded subscriptions being checked here?
> >
>
> Again the quoted wording is not introduced by this patch. But, I see
> your point and it is better if you can start a separate thread for it.
>

OK. I created a separate thread for this [1]

======
[1] https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/CAHut+Pu1usLPHRySPTacY1K_Q-ddSRXNFhmj_2u1NfqBC1ytng@mail.gmail.com

Kind Regards,
Peter Smith.
Fujitsu Australia.