repmgr/FAQ.md

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about repmgr

This FAQ applies to repmgr 3.0 and later.

General

• What's the difference between the repmgr versions?

  repmgr 3.x builds on the improved replication facilities added in PostgreSQL 9.3, as well as improved automated failover support via repmgrd, and is not compatible with PostgreSQL 9.2 and earlier.

  repmgr 2.x supports PostgreSQL 9.0 onwards. While it is compatible with PostgreSQL 9.3 and later, we recommend repmgr v3.

• What's the advantage of using replication slots?

  Replication slots, introduced in PostgreSQL 9.4, ensure that the master server will retain WAL files until they have been consumed by all standby servers. This makes WAL file management much easier, and if used repmgr will no longer insist on a fixed number (default: 5000) of WAL files being preserved.

  (However this does mean that if a standby is no longer connected to the master, the master will retain WAL files indefinitely).

• How many replication slots should I define in max_replication_slots?

  Normally at least same number as the number of standbys which will connect to the node. Note that changes to max_replication_slots require a server restart to take effect, and as there is no particular penalty for unused replication slots, setting a higher figure will make adding new nodes easier.

• Does repmgr support hash indexes?

  No. Hash indexes and replication do not mix well and their use is explicitly discouraged; see: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/interactive/sql-createindex.html#AEN74175

repmgr

• When should I use the --rsync-only option?

  By default, repmgr uses pg_basebackup to clone a standby from a master. However, pg_basebackup copies the entire data directory, which can take some time depending on installation size. If you have an existing but "stale" standby, repmgr can use rsync instead, which means only changed or added files need to be copied.

• Can I register an existing master/standby?

  Yes, this is no problem.

• How can a failed master be re-added as a standby?

  This is a two-stage process. First, the failed master's data directory must be re-synced with the current master; secondly the failed master needs to be re-registered as a standby. The section "Converting a failed master to a standby" in the README.md file contains more detailed information on this process.

• Is there an easy way to check my master server is correctly configured for use with repmgr?

  Yes - execute repmgr with the --check-upstream-config option, and it will let you know which items in postgresql.conf need to be modified.

• Even though I specified custom rsync options, repmgr appends the --checksum - why?

  When syncing a stale data directory from an active server, it's essential that rsync compares the content of files rather than just timestamp and size, to ensure that all changed files are copied and prevent corruption.

• When cloning a standby, how can I prevent repmgr from copying postgresql.conf and pg_hba.conf from the PostgreSQL configuration directory in /etc?

  Use the command line option --ignore-external-config-files

• How can I prevent repmgr from copying local configuration files in the data directory?

  If you're updating an existing but stale data directory which contains e.g. configuration files you don't want to be overwritten with the same file from the master, specify the files in the rsync_options configuration option, e.g.

  rsync_options=--exclude=postgresql.local.conf
  

  This option is only available when using the --rsync-only option.

• How can I make the witness server use a particular port?

  By default the witness server is configured to use port 5499; this is intended to support running the witness server as a separate instance on a normal node server, rather than on its own dedicated server.

  To specify different port for the witness server, supply the port number in the conninfo string in repmgr.conf (repmgr 3.0.1 and earlier: use the -l/--local-port option)

• Do I need to include shared_preload_libraries = 'repmgr_funcs' in postgresql.conf if I'm not using repmgrd?

  No, the repmgr_funcs library is only needed when running repmgrd. If you later decide to run repmgrd, you just need to add shared_preload_libraries = 'repmgr_funcs' and restart PostgreSQL.

• I've provided replication permission for the repmgr user in pg_hba.conf but repmgr/repmgrd complains it can't connect to the server... Why?

  repmgr/repmgrd need to be able to connect to the repmgr database with a normal connection to query metadata. The replication connection permission is for PostgreSQL's streaming replication and doesn't necessarily need to be the repmgr user.

• When cloning a standby, why do I need to provide the connection parameters for the primary server on the command line, not in the configuration file?

  Cloning a standby is a one-time action; the role of the server being cloned from could change, so fixing it in the configuration file would create confusion. If repmgr needs to establish a connection to the primary server, it can retrieve this from the repl_nodes table or if necessary scan the replication cluster until it locates the active primary.

• Why is there no foreign key on the node_id column in the repl_events table?

  Under some circumstances event notifications can be generated for servers which have not yet been registered; it's also useful to retain a record of events which includes servers removed from the replication cluster which no longer have an entry in the repl_nodes table.

repmgrd

• Do I need a witness server?

  Not necessarily. However if you have an uneven number of nodes spread over more than one network segment, a witness server will enable better handling of a 'split brain' situation by providing a "casting vote" on the preferred network segment.

• How can I prevent a node from ever being promoted to master?

  In repmgr.conf, set its priority to a value of 0 or less.

• Does repmgrd support delayed standbys?

  repmgrd can monitor delayed standbys - those set up with recovery_min_apply_delay set to a non-zero value in recovery.conf - but as it's not currently possible to directly examine the value applied to the standby, repmgrd may not be able to properly evaluate the node as a promotion candidate.

  We recommend that delayed standbys are explicitly excluded from promotion by setting priority to 0 in repmgr.conf.

  Note that after registering a delayed standby, repmgrd will only start once the metadata added in the master node has been replicated.

• How can I get repmgrd to rotate its logfile?

  Configure your system's logrotate service to do this; see example in README.md