other users. MVCC uses the natural multi-version nature of PostgreSQL
to allow readers to continue reading consistent data during writer
activity. Writers continue to use the compact pg_log transaction
- system. This is all preformed without having to allocate a lock for
+ system. This is all performed without having to allocate a lock for
every row like traditional database systems. So, basically, we no
- longer have table-level locking, we have something better than row-level
+ longer are restricted by simple table-level locking;
+ we have something better than row-level
locking.
</para>
</listitem>
</para>
<para>
-
- Because readers in 6.5 don't lock data, regardless of transaction
- isolation level, data read by one transaction can be overwritten by
- another. In the other words, if a row is returned by
- <command>SELECT</command> it doesn't mean that this row really exists
- at the time it is returned (i.e. sometime after the statement or
- transaction began) nor that the row is protected from deletion or
- updation by concurrent transactions before the current transaction does
- a commit or rollback.
-
- </para>
-
- <para>
-
- To ensure the actual existance of a row and protect it against
- concurrent updates one must use <command>SELECT FOR UPDATE</command> or
- an appropriate <command>LOCK TABLE</command> statement. This should be
- taken into account when porting applications from previous releases of
- <productname>Postgres</productname> and other environments.
-
- </para>
-
- <para>
-
- Keep above in mind if you are using contrib/refint.* triggers for
- referential integrity. Additional technics are required now. One way is
- to use <command>LOCK parent_table IN SHARE ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE</command>
- command if a transaction is going to update/delete a primary key and
- use <command>LOCK parent_table IN SHARE MODE</command> command if a
- transaction is going to update/insert a foreign key.
-
- <note>
- <para>
-
- Note that if you run a transaction in SERIALIZABLE mode then you must
- execute <command>LOCK</command> commands above before execution of any
- DML statement
- (<command>SELECT/INSERT/DELETE/UPDATE/FETCH/COPY_TO</command>) in the
- transaction.
-
- </para>
- </note>
-
- <para>
-
- These inconveniences will disappear when the ability to read durty
- (uncommitted) data, regardless of isolation level, and true referential
- integrity will be implemented.
-
- </para>
-
+ The new Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC) features can
+ give somewhat different behaviors in multi-user
+ environments. <emphasis>Read and understand the following section
+ to ensure that your existing applications will give you the
+ behavior you need.</emphasis>
</para>
+ <sect3>
+ <title>Multi-Version Concurrency Control</title>
+
+ <para>
+ Because readers in 6.5 don't lock data, regardless of transaction
+ isolation level, data read by one transaction can be overwritten by
+ another. In the other words, if a row is returned by
+ <command>SELECT</command> it doesn't mean that this row really exists
+ at the time it is returned (i.e. sometime after the statement or
+ transaction began) nor that the row is protected from deletion or
+ updation by concurrent transactions before the current transaction does
+ a commit or rollback.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ To ensure the actual existance of a row and protect it against
+ concurrent updates one must use <command>SELECT FOR UPDATE</command> or
+ an appropriate <command>LOCK TABLE</command> statement. This should be
+ taken into account when porting applications from previous releases of
+ <productname>Postgres</productname> and other environments.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Keep above in mind if you are using contrib/refint.* triggers for
+ referential integrity. Additional technics are required now. One way is
+ to use <command>LOCK parent_table IN SHARE ROW EXCLUSIVE MODE</command>
+ command if a transaction is going to update/delete a primary key and
+ use <command>LOCK parent_table IN SHARE MODE</command> command if a
+ transaction is going to update/insert a foreign key.
+
+ <note>
+ <para>
+ Note that if you run a transaction in SERIALIZABLE mode then you must
+ execute the <command>LOCK</command> commands above before execution of any
+ DML statement
+ (<command>SELECT/INSERT/DELETE/UPDATE/FETCH/COPY_TO</command>) in the
+ transaction.
+ </para>
+ </note>
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ These inconveniences will disappear in the future
+ when the ability to read dirty
+ (uncommitted) data (regardless of isolation level) and true referential
+ integrity will be implemented.
+ </para>
+ </sect3>
</sect2>
<sect2>
</para>
</sect1>
-<sect1>
-<title>Timing Results</title>
+ <sect1>
+ <title>Timing Results</title>
-<para>
-These timing results are from running the regression test with the commands
+ These timing results are from running the regression test with the commands
-<programlisting>
% cd src/test/regress
% make all
% time make runtest
-</programlisting>
-</para>
-<para>
- Timing under Linux 2.0.27 seems to have a roughly 5% variation from run
- to run, presumably due to the scheduling vagaries of multitasking systems.
-</para>
+ </programlisting>
+ </para>
+ <para>
+ Timing under Linux 2.0.27 seems to have a roughly 5% variation from run
+ to run, presumably due to the scheduling vagaries of multitasking systems.
+ </para>
+
+ <sect2>
+ <title>v6.5</title>
+
+ <para>
+ As has been the case for previous releases, timing between
+ releases is not directly comparable since new regression tests
+ have been added. In general, v6.5 is faster than previous
+ releases.
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Timing with <function>fsync()</function> disabled:
+
+ <programlisting>
+ Time System
+ 02:00 Dual Pentium Pro 180, 224MB, UW-SCSI, Linux 2.0.36, gcc 2.7.2.3 -O2 -m486
+ </programlisting>
+ </para>
+
+ <para>
+ Timing with <function>fsync()</function> enabled:
+
+ <programlisting>
+ Time System
+ 04:21 Dual Pentium Pro 180, 224MB, UW-SCSI, Linux 2.0.36, gcc 2.7.2.3 -O2 -m486
+ </programlisting>
+
+ For the linux system above, using UW-SCSI disks rather than (older) IDE
+ disks leads to a 50% improvement in speed on the regression test.
+ </para>
+ </sect2>
+
<sect2>
<title>v6.4beta</title>
projects / postgresql / commitdiff