Re: Synchronizing slots from primary to standby

Review for v41 patch.

1.
======
src/backend/utils/misc/postgresql.conf.sample

+#enable_syncslot = on # enables slot synchronization on the physical
standby from the primary

enable_syncslot is disabled by default, so, it should be 'off' here.

~~~
2.
IIUC, the slotsyncworker's connection to the primary is to execute a
query. Its aim is not walsender type connection, but at primary when
queried, the 'backend_type' is set to 'walsender'.
Snippet from primary db-

datname | usename | application_name | wait_event_type | backend_type
---------+-------------+------------------+-----------------+--------------
postgres | replication | slotsyncworker | Client | walsender

Is it okay?

~~~
3.
As per current logic, If there are slots on primary with disabled
subscriptions, then, when standby is created it replicates these slots
but can't make them sync-ready until any activity happens on the
slots.
So, such slots stay in 'i' sync-state and get dropped when failover
happens. Now, if the subscriber tries to enable their existing
subscription after failover, it gives an error that the slot does not
exist.

~~~
4. primary_slot_name GUC value test:

When standby is started with a non-existing primary_slot_name, the
wal-receiver gives an error but the slot-sync worker does not raise
any error/warning. It is no-op though as it has a check 'if
(XLogRecPtrIsInvalid(WalRcv->latestWalEnd)) do nothing'. Is this
okay or shall the slot-sync worker too raise an error and exit?

In another case, when standby is started with valid primary_slot_name,
but it is changed to some invalid value in runtime, then walreceiver
starts giving error but the slot-sync worker keeps on running. In this
case, unlike the previous case, it even did not go to no-op mode (as
it sees valid WalRcv->latestWalEnd from the earlier run) and keep
pinging primary repeatedly for slots. Shall here it should error out
or at least be no-op until we give a valid primary_slot_name?

--
Thanks,
Nisha