-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.214 2009/04/02 22:44:10 momjian Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml,v 1.215 2009/04/23 00:23:45 tgl Exp $ -->
<chapter Id="runtime-config">
<title>Server Configuration</title>
<quote>prepared</> state simultaneously (see <xref
linkend="sql-prepare-transaction"
endterm="sql-prepare-transaction-title">).
- Setting this parameter to zero disables the prepared-transaction
- feature.
- The default is five transactions.
+ Setting this parameter to zero (which is the default)
+ disables the prepared-transaction feature.
This parameter can only be set at server start.
</para>
<para>
- If you are not using prepared transactions, this parameter may as
- well be set to zero. If you are using them, you will probably
- want <varname>max_prepared_transactions</varname> to be at least
- as large as <xref linkend="guc-max-connections">, to avoid unwanted
- failures at the prepare step.
+ If you are not planning to use prepared transactions, this parameter
+ should be set to zero to prevent accidental creation of prepared
+ transactions. If you are using prepared transactions, you will
+ probably want <varname>max_prepared_transactions</varname> to be at
+ least as large as <xref linkend="guc-max-connections">, so that every
+ session can have a prepared transaction pending.
</para>
<para>
<!--
-$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/prepare_transaction.sgml,v 1.8 2008/11/14 10:22:47 petere Exp $
+$PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/prepare_transaction.sgml,v 1.9 2009/04/23 00:23:45 tgl Exp $
PostgreSQL documentation
-->
<para>
<command>PREPARE TRANSACTION</command> prepares the current transaction
- for two-phase commit. After this command, the transaction is no longer
+ for two-phase commit. After this command, the transaction is no longer
associated with the current session; instead, its state is fully stored on
disk, and there is a very high probability that it can be committed
successfully, even if a database crash occurs before the commit is
If the transaction modified any run-time parameters with <command>SET</>
(without the <literal>LOCAL</> option),
those effects persist after <command>PREPARE TRANSACTION</>, and will not
- be affected by any later <command>COMMIT PREPARED</command> or
+ be affected by any later <command>COMMIT PREPARED</command> or
<command>ROLLBACK PREPARED</command>. Thus, in this one respect
<command>PREPARE TRANSACTION</> acts more like <command>COMMIT</> than
<command>ROLLBACK</>.
system view.
</para>
- <para>
- From a performance standpoint, it is unwise to leave transactions in
- the prepared state for a long time: this will for instance interfere with
- the ability of <command>VACUUM</> to reclaim storage. Keep in mind also
- that the transaction continues to hold whatever locks it held.
- The intended
- usage of the feature is that a prepared transaction will normally be
- committed or rolled back as soon as an external transaction manager
- has verified that other databases are also prepared to commit.
- </para>
-
- <para>
- If you make any serious use of prepared transactions, you will probably
- want to increase the value of <xref
- linkend="guc-max-prepared-transactions">, as the default setting is
- quite small (to avoid wasting resources for those who don't use it).
- It is recommendable to make it at least equal to
- <xref linkend="guc-max-connections">, so that every session can have
- a prepared transaction pending.
- </para>
+ <caution>
+ <para>
+ It is unwise to leave transactions in the prepared state for a long time.
+ This will interfere with the ability of <command>VACUUM</> to reclaim
+ storage, and in extreme cases could cause the database to shut down
+ to prevent transaction ID wraparound (see <xref
+ linkend="vacuum-for-wraparound">). Keep in mind also that the transaction
+ continues to hold whatever locks it held. The intended usage of the
+ feature is that a prepared transaction will normally be committed or
+ rolled back as soon as an external transaction manager has verified that
+ other databases are also prepared to commit.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ If you have not set up an external transaction manager to track prepared
+ transactions and ensure they get closed out promptly, it is best to keep
+ the prepared-transaction feature disabled by setting
+ <xref linkend="guc-max-prepared-transactions"> to zero. This will
+ prevent accidental creation of prepared transactions that might then
+ be forgotten and eventually cause problems.
+ </para>
+ </caution>
</refsect1>
<refsect1 id="sql-prepare-transaction-examples">
<para>
Prepare the current transaction for two-phase commit, using
<literal>foobar</> as the transaction identifier:
-
+
<programlisting>
PREPARE TRANSACTION 'foobar';
</programlisting>
* Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
*
* IDENTIFICATION
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/access/transam/twophase.c,v 1.51 2009/01/01 17:23:36 momjian Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/access/transam/twophase.c,v 1.52 2009/04/23 00:23:45 tgl Exp $
*
* NOTES
* Each global transaction is associated with a global transaction
#define TWOPHASE_DIR "pg_twophase"
/* GUC variable, can't be changed after startup */
-int max_prepared_xacts = 5;
+int max_prepared_xacts = 0;
/*
* This struct describes one global transaction that is in prepared state
errmsg("transaction identifier \"%s\" is too long",
gid)));
+ /* fail immediately if feature is disabled */
+ if (max_prepared_xacts == 0)
+ ereport(ERROR,
+ (errcode(ERRCODE_OBJECT_NOT_IN_PREREQUISITE_STATE),
+ errmsg("prepared transactions are disabled"),
+ errhint("Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.")));
+
LWLockAcquire(TwoPhaseStateLock, LW_EXCLUSIVE);
/*
* Copyright (c) 2000-2009, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
*
* IDENTIFICATION
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c,v 1.83 2009/01/01 17:23:36 momjian Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/access/transam/varsup.c,v 1.84 2009/04/23 00:23:45 tgl Exp $
*
*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
(errcode(ERRCODE_PROGRAM_LIMIT_EXCEEDED),
errmsg("database is not accepting commands to avoid wraparound data loss in database \"%s\"",
NameStr(ShmemVariableCache->limit_datname)),
- errhint("Stop the postmaster and use a standalone backend to vacuum database \"%s\".",
+ errhint("Stop the postmaster and use a standalone backend to vacuum database \"%s\".\n"
+ "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions.",
NameStr(ShmemVariableCache->limit_datname))));
else if (TransactionIdFollowsOrEquals(xid, ShmemVariableCache->xidWarnLimit))
ereport(WARNING,
(errmsg("database \"%s\" must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
NameStr(ShmemVariableCache->limit_datname),
ShmemVariableCache->xidWrapLimit - xid),
- errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in \"%s\".",
+ errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in \"%s\".\n"
+ "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions.",
NameStr(ShmemVariableCache->limit_datname))));
}
(errmsg("database \"%s\" must be vacuumed within %u transactions",
NameStr(*oldest_datname),
xidWrapLimit - curXid),
- errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in \"%s\".",
+ errhint("To avoid a database shutdown, execute a database-wide VACUUM in \"%s\".\n"
+ "You might also need to commit or roll back old prepared transactions.",
NameStr(*oldest_datname))));
}
* Written by Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>.
*
* IDENTIFICATION
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.502 2009/04/07 23:27:34 momjian Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/backend/utils/misc/guc.c,v 1.503 2009/04/23 00:23:45 tgl Exp $
*
*--------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
NULL
},
&max_prepared_xacts,
- 5, 0, INT_MAX, NULL, NULL
+ 0, 0, INT_MAX / 4, NULL, NULL
},
#ifdef LOCK_DEBUG
#shared_buffers = 32MB # min 128kB
# (change requires restart)
#temp_buffers = 8MB # min 800kB
-#max_prepared_transactions = 5 # can be 0 or more
+#max_prepared_transactions = 0 # zero disables the feature
# (change requires restart)
# Note: Increasing max_prepared_transactions costs ~600 bytes of shared memory
# per transaction slot, plus lock space (see max_locks_per_transaction).
+# It is not advisable to set max_prepared_transactions nonzero unless you
+# actively intend to use prepared transactions.
#work_mem = 1MB # min 64kB
#maintenance_work_mem = 16MB # min 1MB
#max_stack_depth = 2MB # min 100kB
-- Clean up
DROP TABLE pxtest2;
+DROP TABLE pxtest3; -- will still be there if prepared xacts are disabled
+ERROR: table "pxtest3" does not exist
DROP TABLE pxtest4;
--- /dev/null
+--
+-- PREPARED TRANSACTIONS (two-phase commit)
+--
+-- We can't readily test persistence of prepared xacts within the
+-- regression script framework, unfortunately. Note that a crash
+-- isn't really needed ... stopping and starting the postmaster would
+-- be enough, but we can't even do that here.
+-- create a simple table that we'll use in the tests
+CREATE TABLE pxtest1 (foobar VARCHAR(10));
+INSERT INTO pxtest1 VALUES ('aaa');
+-- Test PREPARE TRANSACTION
+BEGIN;
+UPDATE pxtest1 SET foobar = 'bbb' WHERE foobar = 'aaa';
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ bbb
+(1 row)
+
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'foo1';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+-- Test pg_prepared_xacts system view
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- Test ROLLBACK PREPARED
+ROLLBACK PREPARED 'foo1';
+ERROR: prepared transaction with identifier "foo1" does not exist
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- Test COMMIT PREPARED
+BEGIN;
+INSERT INTO pxtest1 VALUES ('ddd');
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+ ddd
+(2 rows)
+
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'foo2';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+COMMIT PREPARED 'foo2';
+ERROR: prepared transaction with identifier "foo2" does not exist
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+-- Test duplicate gids
+BEGIN;
+UPDATE pxtest1 SET foobar = 'eee' WHERE foobar = 'ddd';
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'foo3';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+BEGIN;
+INSERT INTO pxtest1 VALUES ('fff');
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+ fff
+(2 rows)
+
+-- This should fail, because the gid foo3 is already in use
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'foo3';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+ROLLBACK PREPARED 'foo3';
+ERROR: prepared transaction with identifier "foo3" does not exist
+SELECT * FROM pxtest1;
+ foobar
+--------
+ aaa
+(1 row)
+
+-- Clean up
+DROP TABLE pxtest1;
+-- Test subtransactions
+BEGIN;
+ CREATE TABLE pxtest2 (a int);
+ INSERT INTO pxtest2 VALUES (1);
+ SAVEPOINT a;
+ INSERT INTO pxtest2 VALUES (2);
+ ROLLBACK TO a;
+ SAVEPOINT b;
+ INSERT INTO pxtest2 VALUES (3);
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'regress-one';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+CREATE TABLE pxtest3(fff int);
+-- Test shared invalidation
+BEGIN;
+ DROP TABLE pxtest3;
+ CREATE TABLE pxtest4 (a int);
+ INSERT INTO pxtest4 VALUES (1);
+ INSERT INTO pxtest4 VALUES (2);
+ DECLARE foo CURSOR FOR SELECT * FROM pxtest4;
+ -- Fetch 1 tuple, keeping the cursor open
+ FETCH 1 FROM foo;
+ a
+---
+ 1
+(1 row)
+
+PREPARE TRANSACTION 'regress-two';
+ERROR: prepared transactions are disabled
+HINT: Set max_prepared_transactions to a nonzero value.
+-- No such cursor
+FETCH 1 FROM foo;
+ERROR: cursor "foo" does not exist
+-- Table doesn't exist, the creation hasn't been committed yet
+SELECT * FROM pxtest2;
+ERROR: relation "pxtest2" does not exist
+LINE 1: SELECT * FROM pxtest2;
+ ^
+-- There should be two prepared transactions
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- pxtest3 should be locked because of the pending DROP
+set statement_timeout to 2000;
+SELECT * FROM pxtest3;
+ fff
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+reset statement_timeout;
+-- Disconnect, we will continue testing in a different backend
+\c -
+-- There should still be two prepared transactions
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- pxtest3 should still be locked because of the pending DROP
+set statement_timeout to 2000;
+SELECT * FROM pxtest3;
+ fff
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+reset statement_timeout;
+-- Commit table creation
+COMMIT PREPARED 'regress-one';
+ERROR: prepared transaction with identifier "regress-one" does not exist
+\d pxtest2
+SELECT * FROM pxtest2;
+ERROR: relation "pxtest2" does not exist
+LINE 1: SELECT * FROM pxtest2;
+ ^
+-- There should be one prepared transaction
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- Commit table drop
+COMMIT PREPARED 'regress-two';
+ERROR: prepared transaction with identifier "regress-two" does not exist
+SELECT * FROM pxtest3;
+ fff
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- There should be no prepared transactions
+SELECT gid FROM pg_prepared_xacts;
+ gid
+-----
+(0 rows)
+
+-- Clean up
+DROP TABLE pxtest2;
+ERROR: table "pxtest2" does not exist
+DROP TABLE pxtest3; -- will still be there if prepared xacts are disabled
+DROP TABLE pxtest4;
+ERROR: table "pxtest4" does not exist
* Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2009, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
* Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
*
- * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/test/regress/pg_regress.c,v 1.61 2009/02/12 13:26:03 petere Exp $
+ * $PostgreSQL: pgsql/src/test/regress/pg_regress.c,v 1.62 2009/04/23 00:23:46 tgl Exp $
*
*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*/
if (temp_install)
{
+ FILE *pg_conf;
+
/*
* Prepare the temp installation
*/
exit_nicely(2);
}
- /* add any extra config specified to the postgresql.conf */
+ /*
+ * Adjust the default postgresql.conf as needed for regression testing.
+ * The user can specify a file to be appended; in any case we set
+ * max_prepared_transactions to enable testing of prepared xacts.
+ * (Note: to reduce the probability of unexpected shmmax failures,
+ * don't set max_prepared_transactions any higher than actually
+ * needed by the prepared_xacts regression test.)
+ */
+ snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s/data/postgresql.conf", temp_install);
+ pg_conf = fopen(buf, "a");
+ if (pg_conf == NULL)
+ {
+ fprintf(stderr, _("\n%s: could not open \"%s\" for adding extra config: %s\n"), progname, buf, strerror(errno));
+ exit_nicely(2);
+ }
+ fputs("\n# Configuration added by pg_regress\n\n", pg_conf);
+ fputs("max_prepared_transactions = 2\n", pg_conf);
+
if (temp_config != NULL)
{
FILE *extra_conf;
- FILE *pg_conf;
char line_buf[1024];
- snprintf(buf, sizeof(buf), "%s/data/postgresql.conf", temp_install);
- pg_conf = fopen(buf, "a");
- if (pg_conf == NULL)
- {
- fprintf(stderr, _("\n%s: could not open \"%s\" for adding extra config: %s\n"), progname, buf, strerror(errno));
- exit_nicely(2);
- }
extra_conf = fopen(temp_config, "r");
if (extra_conf == NULL)
{
while (fgets(line_buf, sizeof(line_buf), extra_conf) != NULL)
fputs(line_buf, pg_conf);
fclose(extra_conf);
- fclose(pg_conf);
}
+ fclose(pg_conf);
+
/*
* Check if there is a postmaster running already.
*/
-- Clean up
DROP TABLE pxtest2;
+DROP TABLE pxtest3; -- will still be there if prepared xacts are disabled
DROP TABLE pxtest4;
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