f0dfe29d88
The state machine used by strongly consistent tablets may block on a
read barrier if the local schema is insufficient to resolve pending
mutations [1]. To deal with that, we perform a read barrier that may
block for a long time.
When a strongly consistent tablet is being removed, we'd like to cancel
all ongoing executions of `state_machine::apply`: the shard is no
longer responsible for the tablet, so it doesn't matter what the outcome
is.
---
In the implementation, we abort the operations by simply throwing
an exception from `state_machine::apply` and not doing anything.
That's a red flag considering that it may lead to the instance
being killed on the spot [2].
Fortunately for us, strongly consistent tables use the default Raft
server implementation, i.e. `raft::server_impl`, which actually
handles one type of an exception thrown by the method: namely,
`abort_requested_exception`, which is the default exception thrown
by `seastar::abort_source` [3]. We leverage this property.
---
Unfortunately, `raft::server_impl::abort` isn't perfectly suited for
us. If we look into its code, we'll see that the relevant portion of
the procedure boils down to three steps:
1. Prevent scheduling adding new entries.
2. Wait for the applier fiber.
3. Abort the state machine.
Since aborting the state machine happens only after the applier fiber
has already finished, there will no longer be anything to abort. Either
all executions of `state_machine::apply` have already finished, or they
are hanging and we cannot do anything.
That's a pre-existing problem that we won't be solving here (even
though it's possible). We hope the problem will be solved, and it seems
likely: the code suggests that the behavior is not intended. For more
details, see e.g. [4].
---
We provide two validation tests. They simulate the abortion of
`state_machine::apply` in two different scenarios:
* when the table is dropped (which should also cover the case of tablet
migration),
* when the node is shutting down.
The value of the tests isn't high since they don't ensure that the
state of the group is still valid (though it should be), nor do they
perform any other check. Instead, we rely on the testing framework to
spot any anomalies or errors. That's probably the best we can do at
the moment.
Unfortunately, both tests are marked as skipped becuause of the current
limitations of `raft::server_impl::abort` described above and in [4].
References:
[1] 4c8dba1
[2] See the description of `raft::state_machine` in `raft/raft.hh`.
[3] See `server_impl::applier_fiber` in `raft/server.cc`.
[4] SCYLLADB-1056
Scylla
What is Scylla?
Scylla is the real-time big data database that is API-compatible with Apache Cassandra and Amazon DynamoDB. Scylla embraces a shared-nothing approach that increases throughput and storage capacity to realize order-of-magnitude performance improvements and reduce hardware costs.
For more information, please see the ScyllaDB web site.
Build Prerequisites
Scylla is fairly fussy about its build environment, requiring very recent versions of the C++23 compiler and of many libraries to build. The document HACKING.md includes detailed information on building and developing Scylla, but to get Scylla building quickly on (almost) any build machine, Scylla offers a frozen toolchain. This is a pre-configured Docker image which includes recent versions of all the required compilers, libraries and build tools. Using the frozen toolchain allows you to avoid changing anything in your build machine to meet Scylla's requirements - you just need to meet the frozen toolchain's prerequisites (mostly, Docker or Podman being available).
Building Scylla
Building Scylla with the frozen toolchain dbuild is as easy as:
$ git submodule update --init --force --recursive
$ ./tools/toolchain/dbuild ./configure.py
$ ./tools/toolchain/dbuild ninja build/release/scylla
For further information, please see:
- Developer documentation for more information on building Scylla.
- Build documentation on how to build Scylla binaries, tests, and packages.
- Docker image build documentation for information on how to build Docker images.
Running Scylla
To start Scylla server, run:
$ ./tools/toolchain/dbuild ./build/release/scylla --workdir tmp --smp 1 --developer-mode 1
This will start a Scylla node with one CPU core allocated to it and data files stored in the tmp directory.
The --developer-mode is needed to disable the various checks Scylla performs at startup to ensure the machine is configured for maximum performance (not relevant on development workstations).
Please note that you need to run Scylla with dbuild if you built it with the frozen toolchain.
For more run options, run:
$ ./tools/toolchain/dbuild ./build/release/scylla --help
Testing
See test.py manual.
Scylla APIs and compatibility
By default, Scylla is compatible with Apache Cassandra and its API - CQL. There is also support for the API of Amazon DynamoDB™, which needs to be enabled and configured in order to be used. For more information on how to enable the DynamoDB™ API in Scylla, and the current compatibility of this feature as well as Scylla-specific extensions, see Alternator and Getting started with Alternator.
Documentation
Documentation can be found here. Seastar documentation can be found here. User documentation can be found here.
Training
Training material and online courses can be found at Scylla University. The courses are free, self-paced and include hands-on examples. They cover a variety of topics including Scylla data modeling, administration, architecture, basic NoSQL concepts, using drivers for application development, Scylla setup, failover, compactions, multi-datacenters and how Scylla integrates with third-party applications.
Contributing to Scylla
If you want to report a bug or submit a pull request or a patch, please read the contribution guidelines.
If you are a developer working on Scylla, please read the developer guidelines.
Contact
- The community forum and Slack channel are for users to discuss configuration, management, and operations of ScyllaDB.
- The developers mailing list is for developers and people interested in following the development of ScyllaDB to discuss technical topics.