Redefine max_files_per_process to control additionally opened files

Until now max_files_per_process=N limited each backend to open N files in
total (minus a safety factor), even if there were already more files opened in
postmaster and inherited by backends.  Change max_files_per_process to control
how many additional files each process is allowed to open.

The main motivation for this is the patch to add io_method=io_uring, which
needs to open one file for each backend.  Without this patch, even if
RLIMIT_NOFILE is high enough, postmaster will fail in set_max_safe_fds() if
started with a high max_connections.  The cause of the failure is that, until
now, set_max_safe_fds() subtracted the already open files from
max_files_per_process.

Reviewed-by: Noah Misch <[email protected]>
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/w6uiicyou7hzq47mbyejubtcyb2rngkkf45fk4q7inue5kfbeo@bbfad3qyubvs
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/CAGECzQQh6VSy3KG4pN1d=h9J=D1rStFCMR+t7yh_Kwj-g87aLQ@mail.gmail.com

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index f923ca13a74488983a1159de17a38158651c99a3..69fc93dffc45f5fc867ab49a8771a2efc2368b6e 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -2378,8 +2378,12 @@ include_dir 'conf.d'
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
-        Sets the maximum number of simultaneously open files allowed to each
-        server subprocess. The default is one thousand files. If the kernel is enforcing
+        Sets the maximum number of open files each server subprocess is
+        allowed to open simultaneously, in addition to the files already open
+        in postmaster. The default is one thousand files.
+       </para>
+       <para>
+        If the kernel is enforcing
         a safe per-process limit, you don't need to worry about this setting.
         But on some platforms (notably, most BSD systems), the kernel will
         allow individual processes to open many more files than the system

diff --git a/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c b/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
index 62f1185859f51f572347e119af2f1d337896244f..0c3a2a756e7b2abfc5b22f2faf13e95ec462c714 100644 (file)
--- a/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
+++ b/src/backend/storage/file/fd.c
@@ -1047,16 +1047,17 @@ set_max_safe_fds(void)
 
    /*----------
     * We want to set max_safe_fds to
-    *          MIN(usable_fds, max_files_per_process - already_open)
+    *          MIN(usable_fds, max_files_per_process)
     * less the slop factor for files that are opened without consulting
-    * fd.c.  This ensures that we won't exceed either max_files_per_process
-    * or the experimentally-determined EMFILE limit.
+    * fd.c.  This ensures that we won't allow to open more than
+    * max_files_per_process, or the experimentally-determined EMFILE limit,
+    * additional files.
     *----------
     */
    count_usable_fds(max_files_per_process,
                     &usable_fds, &already_open);
 
-   max_safe_fds = Min(usable_fds, max_files_per_process - already_open);
+   max_safe_fds = Min(usable_fds, max_files_per_process);
 
    /*
     * Take off the FDs reserved for system() etc.
@@ -1070,9 +1071,10 @@ set_max_safe_fds(void)
        ereport(FATAL,
                (errcode(ERRCODE_INSUFFICIENT_RESOURCES),
                 errmsg("insufficient file descriptors available to start server process"),
-                errdetail("System allows %d, server needs at least %d.",
+                errdetail("System allows %d, server needs at least %d, %d files are already open.",
                           max_safe_fds + NUM_RESERVED_FDS,
-                          FD_MINFREE + NUM_RESERVED_FDS)));
+                          FD_MINFREE + NUM_RESERVED_FDS,
+                          already_open)));
 
    elog(DEBUG2, "max_safe_fds = %d, usable_fds = %d, already_open = %d",
         max_safe_fds, usable_fds, already_open);

diff --git a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
index 17d28f458f20b0cfcfb3a867dc181b6e1d299727..989825d3a9c82e76d5f70b5b5937eb952bd9c270 100644 (file)
--- a/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/misc/guc_tables.c
@@ -2680,7 +2680,7 @@ struct config_int ConfigureNamesInt[] =
 
    {
        {"max_files_per_process", PGC_POSTMASTER, RESOURCES_KERNEL,
-           gettext_noop("Sets the maximum number of simultaneously open files for each server process."),
+           gettext_noop("Sets the maximum number of files each server process is allowed to open simultaneously."),
            NULL
        },
        &max_files_per_process,