aio: Basic read_stream adjustments for real AIO
authorAndres Freund <[email protected]>
Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:26:44 +0000 (18:26 -0400)
committerAndres Freund <[email protected]>
Sun, 30 Mar 2025 22:26:44 +0000 (18:26 -0400)
Adapt the read stream logic for real AIO:
- If AIO is enabled, we shouldn't issue advice, but if it isn't, we should
  continue issuing advice
- AIO benefits from reading ahead with direct IO
- If effective_io_concurrency=0, pass READ_BUFFERS_SYNCHRONOUSLY to
  StartReadBuffers() to ensure synchronous IO execution

There are further improvements we should consider:

- While in read_stream_look_ahead(), we can use AIO batch submission mode for
  increased efficiency. That however requires care to avoid deadlocks and thus
  done separately.
- It can be beneficial to defer starting new IOs until we can issue multiple
  IOs at once. That however requires non-trivial heuristics to decide when to
  do so.

Reviewed-by: Noah Misch <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Andres Freund <[email protected]>
Co-authored-by: Thomas Munro <[email protected]>
src/backend/storage/aio/read_stream.c

index c60e37e7f7f406410535f66295b2a08fac572c71..26e5dfe77db5ef67bb848e074d510ad1ab20ff91 100644 (file)
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@
 #include "postgres.h"
 
 #include "miscadmin.h"
+#include "storage/aio.h"
 #include "storage/fd.h"
 #include "storage/smgr.h"
 #include "storage/read_stream.h"
@@ -99,6 +100,8 @@ struct ReadStream
    int16       pinned_buffers;
    int16       distance;
    int16       initialized_buffers;
+   int         read_buffers_flags;
+   bool        sync_mode;      /* using io_method=sync */
    bool        advice_enabled;
    bool        temporary;
 
@@ -250,7 +253,7 @@ read_stream_start_pending_read(ReadStream *stream)
        Assert(stream->next_buffer_index == stream->oldest_buffer_index);
 
    /* Do we need to issue read-ahead advice? */
-   flags = 0;
+   flags = stream->read_buffers_flags;
    if (stream->advice_enabled)
    {
        if (stream->pending_read_blocknum == stream->seq_blocknum)
@@ -261,7 +264,7 @@ read_stream_start_pending_read(ReadStream *stream)
             * then stay of the way of the kernel's own read-ahead.
             */
            if (stream->seq_until_processed != InvalidBlockNumber)
-               flags = READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE;
+               flags |= READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE;
        }
        else
        {
@@ -272,7 +275,7 @@ read_stream_start_pending_read(ReadStream *stream)
             */
            stream->seq_until_processed = stream->pending_read_blocknum;
            if (stream->pinned_buffers > 0)
-               flags = READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE;
+               flags |= READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE;
        }
    }
 
@@ -613,27 +616,33 @@ read_stream_begin_impl(int flags,
        stream->per_buffer_data = (void *)
            MAXALIGN(&stream->ios[Max(1, max_ios)]);
 
+   stream->sync_mode = io_method == IOMETHOD_SYNC;
+
 #ifdef USE_PREFETCH
 
    /*
-    * This system supports prefetching advice.  We can use it as long as
-    * direct I/O isn't enabled, the caller hasn't promised sequential access
-    * (overriding our detection heuristics), and max_ios hasn't been set to
-    * zero.
+    * Read-ahead advice simulating asynchronous I/O with synchronous calls.
+    * Issue advice only if AIO is not used, direct I/O isn't enabled, the
+    * caller hasn't promised sequential access (overriding our detection
+    * heuristics), and max_ios hasn't been set to zero.
     */
-   if ((io_direct_flags & IO_DIRECT_DATA) == 0 &&
+   if (stream->sync_mode &&
+       (io_direct_flags & IO_DIRECT_DATA) == 0 &&
        (flags & READ_STREAM_SEQUENTIAL) == 0 &&
        max_ios > 0)
        stream->advice_enabled = true;
 #endif
 
    /*
-    * For now, max_ios = 0 is interpreted as max_ios = 1 with advice disabled
-    * above.  If we had real asynchronous I/O we might need a slightly
-    * different definition.
+    * Setting max_ios to zero disables AIO and advice-based pseudo AIO, but
+    * we still need to allocate space to combine and run one I/O.  Bump it up
+    * to one, and remember to ask for synchronous I/O only.
     */
    if (max_ios == 0)
+   {
        max_ios = 1;
+       stream->read_buffers_flags = READ_BUFFERS_SYNCHRONOUSLY;
+   }
 
    /*
     * Capture stable values for these two GUC-derived numbers for the
@@ -777,6 +786,11 @@ read_stream_next_buffer(ReadStream *stream, void **per_buffer_data)
 
        if (likely(next_blocknum != InvalidBlockNumber))
        {
+           int         flags = stream->read_buffers_flags;
+
+           if (stream->advice_enabled)
+               flags |= READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE;
+
            /*
             * Pin a buffer for the next call.  Same buffer entry, and
             * arbitrary I/O entry (they're all free).  We don't have to
@@ -792,8 +806,7 @@ read_stream_next_buffer(ReadStream *stream, void **per_buffer_data)
            if (likely(!StartReadBuffer(&stream->ios[0].op,
                                        &stream->buffers[oldest_buffer_index],
                                        next_blocknum,
-                                       stream->advice_enabled ?
-                                       READ_BUFFERS_ISSUE_ADVICE : 0)))
+                                       flags)))
            {
                /* Fast return. */
                return buffer;