XLogInsert

In XLogInsert (src/backend/access/transam/xlog.c), the part that adds back-up
blocks into the rdata chain is described:

/*
* Make additional rdata chain entries for the backup blocks, so that we
* don't need to special-case them in the write loop. Note that we have
* now irrevocably changed the input rdata chain.

If I read the code correctly, the only thing that is irrevocable is
that it writes into
rdt->next, and if it saved an old copy of rdt first, then it could
revoke the changes just
by doing rdt_old->next=NULL. If that were done, then I think this
code could be
moved out of the section holding the WALInsertLock. It could probably be folded
into the part of the code that computes the CRC.

I don't think this wold be a big performance win, as that part of the
code is pretty
fast, but every bit helps in a highly contended lock, and I think the code
would be simpler as well. Do you think it would be worth me giving this a try?

Cheers,

Jeff