path: root/documentation/external-reshape-design.txt

External Reshape

1 Problem statement

External (third-party metadata) reshape differs from native-metadata
reshape in three key ways:

1.1 Format specific constraints

In the native case reshape is limited by what is implemented in the
generic reshape routine (Grow_reshape()) and what is supported by the
kernel.  There are exceptional cases where Grow_reshape() may block
operations when it knows that the kernel implementation is broken, but
otherwise the kernel is relied upon to be the final arbiter of what
reshape operations are supported.

In the external case the kernel, and the generic checks in
Grow_reshape(), become the super-set of what reshapes are possible.  The
metadata format may not support, or have yet to implement a given
reshape type.  The implication for Grow_reshape() is that it must query
the metadata handler and effect changes in the metadata before the new
geometry is posted to the kernel.  The ->reshape_super method allows
Grow_reshape() to validate the requested operation and post the metadata
update.

1.2 Scope of reshape

Native metadata reshape is always performed at the array scope (no
metadata relationship with sibling arrays on the same disks).  External
reshape, depending on the format, may not allow the number of member
disks to be changed in a subarray unless the change is simultaneously
applied to all subarrays in the container.  For example the imsm format
requires all member disks to be a member of all subarrays, so a 4-disk
raid5 in a container that also houses a 4-disk raid10 array could not be
reshaped to 5 disks as the imsm format does not support a 5-disk raid10
representation.  This requires the ->reshape_super method to check the
contents of the array and ask the user to run the reshape at container
scope (if all subarrays are agreeable to the change), or report an
error in the case where one subarray cannot support the change.

1.3 Monitoring / checkpointing

Reshape, unlike rebuild/resync, requires strict checkpointing to survive
interrupted reshape operations.  For example when expanding a raid5
array the first few stripes of the array will be overwritten in a
destructive manner.  When restarting the reshape process we need to know
the exact location of the last successfully written stripe, and we need
to restore the data in any partially overwritten stripe.  Native
metadata stores this backup data in the unused portion of spares that
are being promoted to array members, or in an external backup file
(located on a non-involved block device).

The kernel is in charge of recording checkpoints of reshape progress,
but mdadm is delegated the task of managing the backup space which
involves:
1/ Identifying what data will be overwritten in the next unit of reshape
   operation
2/ Suspending access to that region so that a snapshot of the data can
   be transferred to the backup space.
3/ Allowing the kernel to reshape the saved region and setting the
   boundary for the next backup.

In the external reshape case we want to preserve this mdadm
'reshape-manager' arrangement, but have a third actor, mdmon, to
consider.  It is tempting to give the role of managing reshape to mdmon,
but that is counter to its role as a monitor, and conflicts with the
existing capabilities and role of mdadm to manage the progress of
reshape.  For clarity the external reshape implementation maintains the
role of mdmon as a (mostly) passive recorder of raid events, and mdadm
treats it as it would the kernel in the native reshape case (modulo
needing to send explicit metadata update messages and checking that
mdmon took the expected action).

External reshape can use the generic md backup file as a fallback, but in the
optimal/firmware-compatible case the reshape-manager will use the metadata
specific areas for managing reshape.  The implementation also needs to spawn a
reshape-manager per subarray when the reshape is being carried out at the
container level.  For these two reasons the ->manage_reshape() method is
introduced.  This method in addition to base tasks mentioned above:
1/ Processed each subarray one at a time in series - where appropriate.
2/ Uses either generic routines in Grow.c for md-style backup file
   support, or uses the metadata-format specific location for storing
   recovery data.
This aims to avoid a "midlayer mistake"[1] and lets the metadata handler
optionally take advantage of generic infrastructure in Grow.c

2 Details for specific reshape requests

There are quite a few moving pieces spread out across md, mdadm, and mdmon for
the support of external reshape, and there are several different types of
reshape that need to be comprehended by the implementation.  A rundown of
these details follows.

2.0 General provisions:

Obtain an exclusive open on the container to make sure we are not
running concurrently with a Create() event.

2.1 Freezing sync_action

   Before making any attempt at a reshape we 'freeze' every array in
   the container to ensure no spare assignment or recovery happens.
   This involves writing 'frozen' to sync_action and changing the '/'
   after 'external:' in metadata_version to a '-'. mdmon knows that
   this means not to perform any management.

   Before doing this we check that all sync_actions are 'idle', which
   is racy but still useful.
   Afterwards we check that all member arrays have no spares
   or partial spares (recovery_start != 'none') which would indicate a
   race.  If they do, we unfreeze again.

   Once this completes we know all the arrays are stable.  They may
   still have failed devices as devices can fail at any time.  However
   we treat those like failures that happen during the reshape.

2.2 Reshape size

   1/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): checks if mdmon is running and optionally
      initializes st->update_tail
   2/ mdadm::Grow_reshape() calls ->reshape_super() to check that the size change
      is allowed (being performed at subarray scope / enough room) prepares a
      metadata update
   3/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): flushes the metadata update (via
      flush_metadata_update(), or ->sync_metadata())
   4/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): post the new size to the kernel


2.3 Reshape level (simple-takeover)

"simple-takeover" implies the level change can be satisfied without touching
sync_action

    1/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): checks if mdmon is running and optionally
       initializes st->update_tail
    2/ mdadm::Grow_reshape() calls ->reshape_super() to check that the level change
       is allowed (being performed at subarray scope) prepares a
       metadata update
       2a/ raid10 --> raid0: degrade all mirror legs prior to calling
           ->reshape_super
    3/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): flushes the metadata update (via
       flush_metadata_update(), or ->sync_metadata())
    4/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): post the new level to the kernel

2.4 Reshape chunk, layout

2.5 Reshape raid disks (grow)

    1/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): unconditionally initializes st->update_tail
       because only redundant raid levels can modify the number of raid disks
    2/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): calls ->reshape_super() to check that the level
       change is allowed (being performed at proper scope / permissible
       geometry / proper spares available in the container), chooses
       the spares to use, and prepares a metadata update.
    3/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): Converts each subarray in the container to the
       raid level that can perform the reshape and starts mdmon.
    4/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): Pushes the update to mdmon.
    5/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): uses container_content to find details of
       the spares and passes them to the kernel.
    6/ mdadm::Grow_reshape(): gives raid_disks update to the kernel,
       sets sync_max, sync_min, suspend_lo, suspend_hi all to zero,
       and starts the reshape by writing 'reshape' to sync_action.
    7/ mdmon::monitor notices the sync_action change and tells
       managemon to check for new devices.  managemon notices the new
       devices, opens relevant sysfs file, and passes them all to
       monitor.
    8/ mdadm::Grow_reshape() calls ->manage_reshape to oversee the
       rest of the reshape.

    9/ mdadm::<format>->manage_reshape(): saves data that will be overwritten by
       the kernel to either the backup file or the metadata specific location,
       advances sync_max, waits for reshape, ping mdmon, repeat.
       Meanwhile mdmon::read_and_act(): records checkpoints.
       Specifically.

       9a/ if the 'next' stripe to be reshaped will over-write
           itself during reshape then:
	9a.1/ increase suspend_hi to cover a suitable number of
           stripes.
	9a.2/ backup those stripes safely.
	9a.3/ advance sync_max to allow those stripes to be backed up
	9a.4/ when sync_completed indicates that those stripes have
           been reshaped, manage_reshape must ping_manager
	9a.5/ when mdmon notices that sync_completed has been updated,
           it records the new checkpoint in the metadata
	9a.6/ after the ping_manager, manage_reshape will increase
           suspend_lo to allow access to those stripes again

       9b/ if the 'next' stripe to be reshaped will over-write unused
           space during reshape then we apply same process as above,
	   except that there is no need to back anything up.
	   Note that we *do* need to keep suspend_hi progressing as
	   it is not safe to write to the area-under-reshape.  For
	   kernel-managed-metadata this protection is provided by
	   ->reshape_safe, but that does not protect us in the case
	   of user-space-managed-metadata.

   10/ mdadm::<format>->manage_reshape(): Once reshape completes changes the raid
       level back to the nominal raid level (if necessary)

       FIXME: native metadata does not have the capability to record the original
       raid level in reshape-restart case because the kernel always records current
       raid level to the metadata, whereas external metadata can masquerade at an
       alternate level based on the reshape state.

2.6 Reshape raid disks (shrink)

3 Interaction with metadata handle.

  The following calls are made into the metadata handler to assist
  with initiating and monitoring a 'reshape'.

  1/ ->reshape_super is called quite early (after only minimial
     checks) to make sure that the metadata can record the new shape
     and any necessary transitions.  It may be passed a 'container'
     or an individual array within a container, and it should notice
     the difference and act accordingly.
     When a reshape is requested against a container it is expected
     that it should be applied to every array in the container,
     however it is up to the metadata handler to determine final
     policy.

     If the reshape is supportable, the internal copy of the metadata
     should be updated, and a metadata update suitable for sending
     to mdmon should be queued.

     If the reshape will involve converting spares into array members,
     this must be recorded in the metadata too.

  2/ ->container_content will be called to find out the new state
     of all the array, or all arrays in the container.  Any newly
     added devices (with state==0 and raid_disk >= 0) will be added
     to the array as spares with the relevant slot number.

     It is likely that the info returned by  ->container_content will
     have ->reshape_active set, ->reshape_progress set to e.g. 0, and
     new_* set appropriately.  mdadm will use this information to
     cause the correct reshape to start at an appropriate time.

  3/ ->set_array_state will be called by mdmon when reshape has
     started and again periodically as it progresses.  This should
     record the ->last_checkpoint as the point where reshape has
     progressed to.  When the reshape finished this will be called
     again and it should notice that ->curr_action is no longer
     'reshape' and so should record that the reshape has finished
     providing 'last_checkpoint' has progressed suitably.

  4/ ->manage_reshape will be called once the reshape has been set
     up in the kernel but before sync_max has been moved from 0, so
     no actual reshape will have happened.

     ->manage_reshape should call progress_reshape() to allow the
     reshape to progress, and should back-up any data as indicated
     by the return value.  See the documentation of that function
     for more details.
     ->manage_reshape will be called multiple times when a
     container is being reshaped, once for each member array in
     the container.


   The progress of the metadata is as follows:
    1/ mdadm sends a metadata update to mdmon which marks the array
       as undergoing a reshape. This is set up by
       ->reshape_super and applied by ->process_update
       For container-wide reshape, this happens once for the whole
       container.
    2/ mdmon notices progress via the sysfs files and calls
       ->set_array_state to update the state periodically
       For container-wide reshape, this happens repeatedly for
       one array, then repeatedly for the next, etc.
    3/ mdmon notices when reshape has finished and call
       ->set_array_state to record the the reshape is complete.
       For container-wide reshape, this happens once for each
       member array.



...

[1]: Linux kernel design patterns - part 3, Neil Brown https://lwn.net/Articles/336262/