glusterfs/doc/developer-guide/write-behind.md

performance/write-behind translator

Basic working

Write behind is basically a translator to lie to the application that the write-requests are finished, even before it is actually finished.

On a regular translator tree without write-behind, control flow is like this:

1. application makes a write() system call.
2. VFS ==> FUSE ==> /dev/fuse.
3. fuse-bridge initiates a glusterfs writev() call.
4. writev() is STACK_WIND()ed up to client-protocol or storage translator.
5. client-protocol, on receiving reply from server, starts STACK_UNWIND() towards the fuse-bridge.

On a translator tree with write-behind, control flow is like this:

1. application makes a write() system call.
2. VFS ==> FUSE ==> /dev/fuse.
3. fuse-bridge initiates a glusterfs writev() call.
4. writev() is STACK_WIND()ed up to write-behind translator.
5. write-behind adds the write buffer to its internal queue and does a STACK_UNWIND() towards the fuse-bridge.

write call is completed in application's percepective. after STACK_UNWIND()ing towards the fuse-bridge, write-behind initiates a fresh writev() call to its child translator, whose replies will be consumed by write-behind itself. Write-behind doesn't cache the write buffer, unless option flush-behind on is specified in volume specification file.

Windowing

With respect to write-behind, each write-buffer has three flags: stack_wound, write_behind and got_reply.

• stack_wound: if set, indicates that write-behind has initiated STACK_WIND() towards child translator.
• write_behind: if set, indicates that write-behind has done STACK_UNWIND() towards fuse-bridge.
• got_reply: if set, indicates that write-behind has received reply from child translator for a writev() STACK_WIND(). a request will be destroyed by write-behind only if this flag is set.

Currently pending write requests = aggregate size of requests with write_behind = 1 and got_reply = 0.

window size limits the aggregate size of currently pending write requests. once the pending requests' size has reached the window size, write-behind blocks
writev() calls from fuse-bridge. Blocking is only from application's perspective. Write-behind does STACK_WIND() to child translator straight-away, but hold behind the STACK_UNWIND() towards fuse-bridge. STACK_UNWIND() is done only once write-behind gets enough replies to accommodate for currently blocked request.

Flush behind

If option flush-behind on is specified in volume specification file, then write-behind sends aggregate write requests to child translator, instead of regular per request STACK_WIND()s.