Why does VACUUM FULL bother locking pages?

From: Alvaro Herrera <alvherre(at)alvh(dot)no-ip(dot)org>
To: Hackers <pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org>
Subject: Why does VACUUM FULL bother locking pages?
Date: 2005-09-16 16:39:25
Message-ID: 20050916163925.GB6819@surnet.cl
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Hackers,

I'm reading the vacuum code and I just noticed that the routines
move_plain_tuple and move_chain_tuple expect the dest and source blocks
to be locked, and unlock them at exit. The only caller of both is
repair_frag, whose only caller in turn is full_vacuum_rel. Same thing
for update_hint_bits.

So, the only callers of both has already acquired appropiate locks at
the relation level -- nobody is going to be modifying the blocks while
they proceed. So why bother locking the pages at all? Is there a
reason or is this an historical accident?

--
Alvaro Herrera -- Valdivia, Chile Architect, www.EnterpriseDB.com
"Puedes vivir solo una vez, pero si lo haces bien, una vez es suficiente"

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