[ovs-dev] [idl 4/4] ovsdb-idl: Improve documentation.

Ethan Jackson ethan at nicira.com
Wed Apr 11 18:33:24 UTC 2012


Yay!  We've needed this for a while.  Looks good.

s/columsn/columns

Ethan

On Tue, Mar 27, 2012 at 17:00, Ben Pfaff <blp at nicira.com> wrote:
> Signed-off-by: Ben Pfaff <blp at nicira.com>
> ---
>  lib/ovsdb-idl.c      |  126 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--
>  lib/ovsdb-idl.h      |   51 ++++++++++++++++++++-
>  python/ovs/db/idl.py |  116 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
>  3 files changed, 280 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)
>
> diff --git a/lib/ovsdb-idl.c b/lib/ovsdb-idl.c
> index 5019c43..81f1548 100644
> --- a/lib/ovsdb-idl.c
> +++ b/lib/ovsdb-idl.c
> @@ -357,8 +357,23 @@ ovsdb_idl_wait(struct ovsdb_idl *idl)
>     jsonrpc_session_recv_wait(idl->session);
>  }
>
> -/* Returns a number that represents the state of 'idl'.  When 'idl' is updated
> - * (by ovsdb_idl_run()), the return value changes. */
> +/* Returns a "sequence number" that represents the state of 'idl'.  When
> + * ovsdb_idl_run() changes the database, the sequence number changes.  The
> + * initial fetch of the entire contents of the remote database is considered to
> + * be one kind of change.  Successfully acquiring a lock, if one has been
> + * configured with ovsdb_idl_set_lock(), is also considered to be a change.
> + *
> + * As long as the sequence number does not change, the client may continue to
> + * use any data structures it obtains from 'idl'.  But when it changes, the
> + * client must not access any of these data structures again, because they
> + * could have freed or reused for other purposes.
> + *
> + * The sequence number can occasionally change even if the database does not.
> + * This happens if the connection to the database drops and reconnects, which
> + * causes the database contents to be reloaded even if they didn't change.  (It
> + * could also happen if the database server sends out a "change" that reflects
> + * what the IDL already thought was in the database.  The database server is
> + * not supposed to do that, but bugs could in theory cause it to do so.) */
>  unsigned int
>  ovsdb_idl_get_seqno(const struct ovsdb_idl *idl)
>  {
> @@ -992,6 +1007,7 @@ ovsdb_idl_table_from_class(const struct ovsdb_idl *idl,
>     return &idl->tables[table_class - idl->class->tables];
>  }
>
> +/* Called by ovsdb-idlc generated code. */
>  struct ovsdb_idl_row *
>  ovsdb_idl_get_row_arc(struct ovsdb_idl_row *src,
>                       struct ovsdb_idl_table_class *dst_table_class,
> @@ -1036,6 +1052,8 @@ ovsdb_idl_get_row_arc(struct ovsdb_idl_row *src,
>     }
>  }
>
> +/* Searches 'tc''s table in 'idl' for a row with UUID 'uuid'.  Returns a
> + * pointer to the row if there is one, otherwise a null pointer.  */
>  const struct ovsdb_idl_row *
>  ovsdb_idl_get_row_for_uuid(const struct ovsdb_idl *idl,
>                            const struct ovsdb_idl_table_class *tc,
> @@ -1058,6 +1076,12 @@ next_real_row(struct ovsdb_idl_table *table, struct hmap_node *node)
>     return NULL;
>  }
>
> +/* Returns a row in 'table_class''s table in 'idl', or a null pointer if that
> + * table is empty.
> + *
> + * Database tables are internally maintained as hash tables, so adding or
> + * removing rows while traversing the same table can cause some rows to be
> + * visited twice or not at apply. */
>  const struct ovsdb_idl_row *
>  ovsdb_idl_first_row(const struct ovsdb_idl *idl,
>                     const struct ovsdb_idl_table_class *table_class)
> @@ -1067,6 +1091,8 @@ ovsdb_idl_first_row(const struct ovsdb_idl *idl,
>     return next_real_row(table, hmap_first(&table->rows));
>  }
>
> +/* Returns a row following 'row' within its table, or a null pointer if 'row'
> + * is the last row in its table. */
>  const struct ovsdb_idl_row *
>  ovsdb_idl_next_row(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *row)
>  {
> @@ -1143,6 +1169,11 @@ ovsdb_idl_row_is_synthetic(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *row)
>  static void ovsdb_idl_txn_complete(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn,
>                                    enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status);
>
> +/* Returns a string representation of 'status'.  The caller must not modify or
> + * free the returned string.
> + *
> + * The return value is probably useful only for debug log messages and unit
> + * tests. */
>  const char *
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_status_to_string(enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status status)
>  {
> @@ -1167,6 +1198,9 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_status_to_string(enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status status)
>     return "<unknown>";
>  }
>
> +/* Starts a new transaction on 'idl'.  A given ovsdb_idl may only have a single
> + * active transaction at a time.  See the large comment in ovsdb-idl.h for
> + * general information on transactions. */
>  struct ovsdb_idl_txn *
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_create(struct ovsdb_idl *idl)
>  {
> @@ -1185,7 +1219,6 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_create(struct ovsdb_idl *idl)
>
>     txn->inc_table = NULL;
>     txn->inc_column = NULL;
> -    txn->inc_where = NULL;
>
>     hmap_init(&txn->inserted_rows);
>
> @@ -1210,6 +1243,13 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_add_comment(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn, const char *s, ...)
>     va_end(args);
>  }
>
> +/* Marks 'txn' as a transaction that will not actually modify the database.  In
> + * almost every way, the transaction is treated like other transactions.  It
> + * must be committed or aborted like other transactions, it will be sent to the
> + * database server like other transactions, and so on.  The only difference is
> + * that the operations sent to the database server will include, as the last
> + * step, an "abort" operation, so that any changes made by the transaction will
> + * not actually take effect. */
>  void
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_set_dry_run(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1242,6 +1282,11 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_increment(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn,
>     txn->inc_row = row->uuid;
>  }
>
> +/* Destroys 'txn' and frees all associated memory.  If ovsdb_idl_txn_commit()
> + * has been called for 'txn' but the commit is still incomplete (that is, the
> + * last call returned TXN_INCOMPLETE) then the transaction may or may not still
> + * end up committing at the database server, but the client will not be able to
> + * get any further status information back. */
>  void
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_destroy(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1261,6 +1306,7 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_destroy(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>     free(txn);
>  }
>
> +/* Causes poll_block() to wake up if 'txn' has completed committing. */
>  void
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_wait(const struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1391,6 +1437,55 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_disassemble(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>     hmap_init(&txn->txn_rows);
>  }
>
> +/* Attempts to commit 'txn'.  Returns the status of the commit operation, one
> + * of the following TXN_* constants:
> + *
> + *   TXN_INCOMPLETE:
> + *
> + *       The transaction is in progress, but not yet complete.  The caller
> + *       should call again later, after calling ovsdb_idl_run() to let the IDL
> + *       do OVSDB protocol processing.
> + *
> + *   TXN_UNCHANGED:
> + *
> + *       The transaction is complete.  (It didn't actually change the database,
> + *       so the IDL didn't send any request to the database server.)
> + *
> + *   TXN_ABORTED:
> + *
> + *       The caller previously called ovsdb_idl_txn_abort().
> + *
> + *   TXN_SUCCESS:
> + *
> + *       The transaction was successful.  The update made by the transaction
> + *       (and possibly other changes made by other database clients) should
> + *       already be visible in the IDL.
> + *
> + *   TXN_TRY_AGAIN:
> + *
> + *       The transaction failed for some transient reason, e.g. because a
> + *       "verify" operation reported an inconsistency or due to a network
> + *       problem.  The caller should wait for a change to the database, then
> + *       compose a new transaction, and commit the new transaction.
> + *
> + *       Use the return value of ovsdb_idl_get_seqno() to wait for a change in
> + *       the database.  It is important to use its return value *before* the
> + *       initial call to ovsdb_idl_txn_commit() as the baseline for this
> + *       purpose, because the change that one should wait for can happen after
> + *       the initial call but before the call that returns TXN_TRY_AGAIN, and
> + *       using some other baseline value in that situation could cause an
> + *       indefinite wait if the database rarely changes.
> + *
> + *   TXN_NOT_LOCKED:
> + *
> + *       The transaction failed because the IDL has been configured to require
> + *       a database lock (with ovsdb_idl_set_lock()) but didn't get it yet or
> + *       has already lost it.
> + *
> + * Committing a transaction rolls back all of the changes that it made to the
> + * IDL's copy of the database.  If the transaction commits successfully, then
> + * the database server will send an update and, thus, the IDL will be updated
> + * with the committed changes. */
>  enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_commit(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1596,7 +1691,10 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_commit(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>
>  /* Attempts to commit 'txn', blocking until the commit either succeeds or
>  * fails.  Returns the final commit status, which may be any TXN_* value other
> - * than TXN_INCOMPLETE. */
> + * than TXN_INCOMPLETE.
> + *
> + * This function calls ovsdb_idl_run() on 'txn''s IDL, so it may cause the
> + * return value of ovsdb_idl_get_seqno() to change. */
>  enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_commit_block(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1612,6 +1710,9 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_commit_block(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>     return status;
>  }
>
> +/* Returns the final (incremented) value of the column in 'txn' that was set to
> + * be incremented by ovsdb_idl_txn_increment().  'txn' must have committed
> + * successfully. */
>  int64_t
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_get_increment_new_value(const struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1619,6 +1720,12 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_get_increment_new_value(const struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>     return txn->inc_new_value;
>  }
>
> +/* Aborts 'txn' without sending it to the database server.  This is effective
> + * only if ovsdb_idl_txn_commit() has not yet been called for 'txn'.
> + * Otherwise, it has no effect.
> + *
> + * Aborting a transaction doesn't free its memory.  Use
> + * ovsdb_idl_txn_destroy() to do that. */
>  void
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_abort(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -1628,6 +1735,14 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_abort(struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>     }
>  }
>
> +/* Returns a string that reports the error status for 'txn'.  The caller must
> + * not modify or free the returned string.  A call to ovsdb_idl_txn_destroy()
> + * for 'txn' may free the returned string.
> + *
> + * The return value is ordinarily one of the strings that
> + * ovsdb_idl_txn_status_to_string() would return, but if the transaction failed
> + * due to an error reported by the database server, the return value is that
> + * error. */
>  const char *
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_get_error(const struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> @@ -2101,6 +2216,8 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_process_reply(struct ovsdb_idl *idl,
>     return true;
>  }
>
> +/* Returns the transaction currently active for 'row''s IDL.  A transaction
> + * must currently be active. */
>  struct ovsdb_idl_txn *
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_get(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *row)
>  {
> @@ -2109,6 +2226,7 @@ ovsdb_idl_txn_get(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *row)
>     return txn;
>  }
>
> +/* Returns the IDL on which 'txn' acts. */
>  struct ovsdb_idl *
>  ovsdb_idl_txn_get_idl (struct ovsdb_idl_txn *txn)
>  {
> diff --git a/lib/ovsdb-idl.h b/lib/ovsdb-idl.h
> index 34ccf06..b7beccc 100644
> --- a/lib/ovsdb-idl.h
> +++ b/lib/ovsdb-idl.h
> @@ -112,7 +112,56 @@ const struct ovsdb_datum *ovsdb_idl_get(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *,
>
>  bool ovsdb_idl_row_is_synthetic(const struct ovsdb_idl_row *);
>
> -/* Transactions. */
> +/* Transactions.
> + *
> + * A transaction may modify the contents of a database by modifying the values
> + * of columns, deleting rows, inserting rows, or adding checks that columns in
> + * the database have not changed ("verify" operations), through
> + * ovsdb_idl_txn_*() functions.  (The OVSDB IDL code generator produces helper
> + * functions that internally call the ovsdb_idl_txn_*() functions.  These are
> + * likely to be more convenient.)
> + *
> + * Reading and writing columsn and inserting and deleting rows are all
> + * straightforward.  The reasons to verify columns are less obvious.
> + * Verification is the key to maintaining transactional integrity.  Because
> + * OVSDB handles multiple clients, it can happen that between the time that
> + * OVSDB client A reads a column and writes a new value, OVSDB client B has
> + * written that column.  Client A's write should not ordinarily overwrite
> + * client B's, especially if the column in question is a "map" column that
> + * contains several more or less independent data items.  If client A adds a
> + * "verify" operation before it writes the column, then the transaction fails
> + * in case client B modifies it first.  Client A will then see the new value of
> + * the column and compose a new transaction based on the new contents written
> + * by client B.
> + *
> + * When a transaction is complete, which must be before the next call to
> + * ovsdb_idl_run() on 'idl', call ovsdb_idl_txn_commit() or
> + * ovsdb_idl_txn_abort().
> + *
> + * The life-cycle of a transaction looks like this:
> + *
> + * 1. Create the transaction and record the initial sequence number:
> + *
> + *     seqno = ovsdb_idl_get_seqno(idl);
> + *     txn = ovsdb_idl_txn_create(idl);
> + *
> + * 2. Modify the database with ovsdb_idl_txn_*() functions directly or
> + *    indirectly.
> + *
> + * 3. Commit the transaction by calling ovsdb_idl_txn_commit().  The first call
> + *    to this function probably returns TXN_INCOMPLETE.  The client must keep
> + *    calling again along as this remains true, calling ovsdb_idl_run() in
> + *    between to let the IDL do protocol processing.  (If the client doesn't
> + *    have anything else to do in the meantime, it can use
> + *    ovsdb_idl_txn_commit_block() to avoid having to loop itself.)
> + *
> + * 4. If the final status is TXN_TRY_AGAIN, wait for ovsdb_idl_get_seqno() to
> + *    change from the saved 'seqno' (it's possible that it's already changed,
> + *    in which case the client should not wait at all), then start over from
> + *    step 1.  Only a call to ovsdb_idl_run() will change the return value of
> + *    ovsdb_idl_get_seqno().  (ovsdb_idl_txn_commit_block() calls
> + *    ovsdb_idl_run().)
> + */
>
>  enum ovsdb_idl_txn_status {
>     TXN_UNCOMMITTED,            /* Not yet committed or aborted. */
> diff --git a/python/ovs/db/idl.py b/python/ovs/db/idl.py
> index f36ab03..4c11499 100644
> --- a/python/ovs/db/idl.py
> +++ b/python/ovs/db/idl.py
> @@ -52,7 +52,13 @@ class Idl:
>       'rows' map values.  Refer to Row for more details.
>
>     - 'change_seqno': A number that represents the IDL's state.  When the IDL
> -      is updated (by Idl.run()), its value changes.
> +      is updated (by Idl.run()), its value changes.  The sequence number can
> +      occasionally change even if the database does not.  This happens if the
> +      connection to the database drops and reconnects, which causes the
> +      database contents to be reloaded even if they didn't change.  (It could
> +      also happen if the database server sends out a "change" that reflects
> +      what the IDL already thought was in the database.  The database server is
> +      not supposed to do that, but bugs could in theory cause it to do so.)
>
>     - 'lock_name': The name of the lock configured with Idl.set_lock(), or None
>       if no lock is configured.
> @@ -635,6 +641,49 @@ class _InsertedRow(object):
>
>
>  class Transaction(object):
> +    """A transaction may modify the contents of a database by modifying the
> +    values of columns, deleting rows, inserting rows, or adding checks that
> +    columns in the database have not changed ("verify" operations), through
> +    Row methods.
> +
> +    Reading and writing columsn and inserting and deleting rows are all
> +    straightforward.  The reasons to verify columns are less obvious.
> +    Verification is the key to maintaining transactional integrity.  Because
> +    OVSDB handles multiple clients, it can happen that between the time that
> +    OVSDB client A reads a column and writes a new value, OVSDB client B has
> +    written that column.  Client A's write should not ordinarily overwrite
> +    client B's, especially if the column in question is a "map" column that
> +    contains several more or less independent data items.  If client A adds a
> +    "verify" operation before it writes the column, then the transaction fails
> +    in case client B modifies it first.  Client A will then see the new value
> +    of the column and compose a new transaction based on the new contents
> +    written by client B.
> +
> +    When a transaction is complete, which must be before the next call to
> +    Idl.run(), call Transaction.commit() or Transaction.abort().
> +
> +    The life-cycle of a transaction looks like this:
> +
> +    1. Create the transaction and record the initial sequence number:
> +
> +        seqno = idl.change_seqno(idl)
> +        txn = Transaction(idl)
> +
> +    2. Modify the database with Row and Transaction methods.
> +
> +    3. Commit the transaction by calling Transaction.commit().  The first call
> +       to this function probably returns Transaction.INCOMPLETE.  The client
> +       must keep calling again along as this remains true, calling Idl.run() in
> +       between to let the IDL do protocol processing.  (If the client doesn't
> +       have anything else to do in the meantime, it can use
> +       Transaction.commit_block() to avoid having to loop itself.)
> +
> +    4. If the final status is Transaction.TRY_AGAIN, wait for Idl.change_seqno
> +       to change from the saved 'seqno' (it's possible that it's already
> +       changed, in which case the client should not wait at all), then start
> +       over from step 1.  Only a call to Idl.run() will change the return value
> +       of Idl.change_seqno.  (Transaction.commit_block() calls Idl.run().)"""
> +
>     # Status values that Transaction.commit() can return.
>     UNCOMMITTED = "uncommitted"  # Not yet committed or aborted.
>     UNCHANGED = "unchanged"      # Transaction didn't include any changes.
> @@ -694,6 +743,8 @@ class Transaction(object):
>         self._comments.append(comment)
>
>     def wait(self, poller):
> +        """Causes poll_block() to wake up if this transaction has completed
> +        committing."""
>         if self._status not in (Transaction.UNCOMMITTED,
>                                 Transaction.INCOMPLETE):
>             poller.immediate_wake()
> @@ -722,16 +773,56 @@ class Transaction(object):
>         self._txn_rows = {}
>
>     def commit(self):
> -        """Attempts to commit this transaction and returns the status of the
> -        commit operation, one of the constants declared as class attributes.
> -        If the return value is Transaction.INCOMPLETE, then the transaction is
> -        not yet complete and the caller should try calling again later, after
> -        calling Idl.run() to run the Idl.
> +        """Attempts to commit 'txn'.  Returns the status of the commit
> +        operation, one of the following constants:
> +
> +          Transaction.INCOMPLETE:
> +
> +              The transaction is in progress, but not yet complete.  The caller
> +              should call again later, after calling Idl.run() to let the
> +              IDL do OVSDB protocol processing.
> +
> +          Transaction.UNCHANGED:
> +
> +              The transaction is complete.  (It didn't actually change the
> +              database, so the IDL didn't send any request to the database
> +              server.)
> +
> +          Transaction.ABORTED:
> +
> +              The caller previously called Transaction.abort().
> +
> +          Transaction.SUCCESS:
> +
> +              The transaction was successful.  The update made by the
> +              transaction (and possibly other changes made by other database
> +              clients) should already be visible in the IDL.
> +
> +          Transaction.TRY_AGAIN:
> +
> +              The transaction failed for some transient reason, e.g. because a
> +              "verify" operation reported an inconsistency or due to a network
> +              problem.  The caller should wait for a change to the database,
> +              then compose a new transaction, and commit the new transaction.
> +
> +              Use Idl.change_seqno to wait for a change in the database.  It is
> +              important to use its value *before* the initial call to
> +              Transaction.commit() as the baseline for this purpose, because
> +              the change that one should wait for can happen after the initial
> +              call but before the call that returns Transaction.TRY_AGAIN, and
> +              using some other baseline value in that situation could cause an
> +              indefinite wait if the database rarely changes.
> +
> +          Transaction.NOT_LOCKED:
> +
> +              The transaction failed because the IDL has been configured to
> +              require a database lock (with Idl.set_lock()) but didn't
> +              get it yet or has already lost it.
>
>         Committing a transaction rolls back all of the changes that it made to
> -        the Idl's copy of the database.  If the transaction commits
> +        the IDL's copy of the database.  If the transaction commits
>         successfully, then the database server will send an update and, thus,
> -        the Idl will be updated with the committed changes."""
> +        the IDL will be updated with the committed changes."""
>         # The status can only change if we're the active transaction.
>         # (Otherwise, our status will change only in Idl.run().)
>         if self != self.idl.txn:
> @@ -849,6 +940,12 @@ class Transaction(object):
>         return self._status
>
>     def commit_block(self):
> +        """Attempts to commit this transaction, blocking until the commit
> +        either succeeds or fails.  Returns the final commit status, which may
> +        be any Transaction.* value other than Transaction.INCOMPLETE.
> +
> +        This function calls Idl.run() on this transaction'ss IDL, so it may
> +        cause Idl.change_seqno to change."""
>         while True:
>             status = self.commit()
>             if status != Transaction.INCOMPLETE:
> @@ -862,6 +959,9 @@ class Transaction(object):
>             poller.block()
>
>     def get_increment_new_value(self):
> +        """Returns the final (incremented) value of the column in this
> +        transaction that was set to be incremented by Row.increment.  This
> +        transaction must have committed successfully."""
>         assert self._status == Transaction.SUCCESS
>         return self._inc_new_value
>
> --
> 1.7.2.5
>
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