= Server Deployment Package (SDP) for Perforce Helix: SDP User Guide (for Unix)
Perforce Professional Services <consulting@perforce.com>
:revnumber: v2019.3
:revdate: 2020-08-14
:doctype: book
:icons: font
:toc:
:toclevels: 5
:sectnumlevels: 4
:xrefstyle: full
== Preface
The Server Deployment Package (SDP) is the implementation of Perforce's recommendations for operating and managing a production Perforce Helix Core Version Control System. It is intended to provide the Helix Core administration team with tools to help:
* Simplify Management
* High Availability (HA)
* Disaster Recovery (DR)
* Fast and Safe Upgrades
* Production Focus
* Best Practice Configurables
* Optimal Performance, Data Safety, and Simplified Backup
This guide is intended to provide instructions of setting up the SDP to help provide users of Helix Core with the above benefits.
This guide assumes some familiarity with Perforce and does not duplicate the basic information in the Perforce user documentation.
This document only relates to the Server Deployment Package (SDP) all other Helix Core documentation can be found here: https://www.perforce.com/support/self-service-resources/documentation[Perforce Support Documentation]
*Please Give Us Feedback*
Perforce welcomes feedback from our users. Please send any suggestions for improving this document or the SDP to consulting@perforce.com.
:sectnums:
== Overview
The SDP has four main components:
* Hardware and storage layout recommendations for Perforce.
* Scripts to automate critical maintenance activities
* Scripts to aid the setup and management of replication (including failover for DR/HA)
* Scripts to assist with routine administration tasks.
Each of these components is covered, in detail, in this guide.
=== Using this Guide
<<_setting_up_the_sdp>> describes concepts and re-requisites
<<_installing_the_sdp_on_unix_linux>> consists of what you need to know to setup Helix Core sever on a Unix platform.
<<_upgrading_an_existing_sdp_installation>> covers upgrading SDP
<<_configuration_script>> covers details of the configuration
<<_backup_replication_and_recovery>> gives information around the Backup, Restoration and Replication of Helix Core,
including some guidance on planning for HA (High Availability) and DR (Disaster Recovery)
<<_server_maintenance>> also covers upgrades of `p4d` and related executables.
<<_maximizing_server_performance>> covers optimizations and proactive actions.
<<_tools_and_scripts>> covers all the scripts used within the SDP in some more detail.
<<_sdp_package_contents>> address details of planning.
<<_frequently_asked_questionstroubleshooting>> is useful for other
questions.
=== Getting the SDP
The SDP is downloaded as a single zipped tar file the latest version can be found at: https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/projects/perforce-software-sdp/files/downloads
== Setting up the SDP
This section tells you how to configure the SDP to setup a new Helix Core server. Whilst the standard installation of Helix Core is fully covered in the System's Administrator Guide this section covers the details most relevant to the SDP.
The SDP can be installed on multiple server machines, and each server machine can host one or more Helix Core server instances.
=== Terminology and pre-requisites
[arabic]
. The term _server_ refers to a Helix Core server _instance_, unless otherwise specified.
. The term _metadata_ refers to the Helix Core database files
. _Instance:_ a separate Helix Core instantiation using its own p4d daemon/process
*Pre-Requisites:*
[arabic]
. The Helix Core binaries (p4d, p4, p4broker, p4p) have been downloaded (see <<_installing_the_sdp_on_unix_linux>>)
. _sudo_ access is required
. System administrator available for configuration of drives / volumes (especially if on network or SAN or similar)
. Supported Unix version, currently these versions are fully supported - for other versions please speak with Perforce Support
* Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (xenial)
* Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (bionic)
* CentOS or Red Hat 6.x
* CentOS or Red Hat 7.x
* SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
=== Volume Layout and Hardware
As can be expected from a version control system, good disk (storage) management is key to maximising data integrity and performance. Perforce recommend using multiple physical volumes for *each* server instance. Using three or four volumes per instance reduces the chance of hardware failure affecting more than one instance. When naming volumes and directories the SDP assumes the "hx" prefix is used to indicate Helix volumes (your own naming conventions/standards can be used instead). For optimal performance on UNIX machines, the XFS file system is recommended but not mandated.
* {blank}
+
*Perforce metadata (database files), 1 or 2 volumes:*
Use the fastest volume possible, ideally SSD or RAID 1+0 on a dedicated controller with the maximum cache available on it. These volumes default to `/hxmetadata1` and `/hxmetadata2`.
+
It is fine to have these both pointing to the same physical volume, e.g. `/hxmetadata`.
* {blank}
+
*Journals and logs:*
a fast volume, ideally SSD or RAID 1+0 on its own controller with the standard amount of cache on it.
This volume is normally called `/hxlogs` and should usually be backed up.
+
If a separate logs volume is not available, put the logs on the `/hxmetadata1` or `/hxmetadata` volume.
* {blank}
+
*Depot data, archive files, scripts, and checkpoints*:
Use a large volume, with RAID 5 on its own controller with a standard amount of cache or a SAN or NAS volume (NFS access is fine).
This volume is the only volume that *must* be backed up.
The SDP backup scripts place the metadata snapshots on this volume.
+
This volume is normally called `/hxdepots`.
NOTE: If multiple controllers are not available, put the `hxlogs` and `hxdepots` volumes on the same controller.
IMPORTANT: Do not run anti-virus tools or back up tools against the hxmetadata volume(s) or hxlogs volume(s), because they can interfere with the operation of the Perforce server.
On Unix/Linux platforms, the SDP will create a "convenience" directory containing links to the volumes for each instance, by default named `/p4`. The volume layout is shown in Appendix SDP Package Contents. This convenience directory enables easy access to the different parts of the file system for each instance.
For example:
* `/p4/1/root` contains the database files for instance `1`
* `/p4/1/logs` contains the log files for instance `1`
* `/p4/1/bin` contains the binaries and scripts for instance `1`
* `/p4/common/bin` contains the binaries and scripts common to all instances
== Installing the SDP on Unix / Linux
To install Perforce Server and the SDP, perform the steps laid out below:
* Set up a user account, file system, and configuration scripts.
* Run the configuration script.
* Start the server and configure the required file structure for the SDP.
[.arabic]
. If it doesn't already exist, create a group called `perforce`:
sudo groupadd perforce
. Create a user called perforce and set the user's home directory to `/p4` on a local disk.
sudo useradd -d /p4 -s /bin/bash -m perforce -g perforce
. Create or mount the server file system volumes (per layout in previous section)
* `/hxdepots`
* `/hxlogs`
+
and either:
* `hxmetadata`
+
or
* `/hxmetadata1`
* `/hxmetadata2`
. These directories should be owned by: `perforce:perforce`
sudo chown -R perforce:perforce /hx*
. Either download the SDP directly or move the previously downloaded version to `/hxdepots`
cd /hxdepots
export sdpver=2019.3.26571 # Specify desired latest release
wget https://swarm.workshop.perforce.com/downloads/guest/perforce_software/sdp/downloads/sdp.Unix.$(sdpver).tgz
+
Or:
mv sdp.Unix.$(sdpver).tgz /hxdepots
. Untar and uncompress the downloaded sdp files:
tar -zxvf sdp.Unix.$(sdpver).tgz
. Set environment variable SDP, this makes certain later steps easier.
export SDP=/hxdepots/sdp
. Make the entire $SDP (`/hxdepot/sdp`) directory writable:
chmod -R +w $SDP
. Download the appropriate p4, p4d and p4broker binaries for your release and platform (substituting desired release for `r20.1` below)
cd $SDP/Server/Unix/p4/common/bin
wget http://ftp.perforce.com/perforce/r20.1/bin.linux26x86_64/p4
wget http://ftp.perforce.com/perforce/r20.1/bin.linux26x86_64/p4d
wget http://ftp.perforce.com/perforce/r20.1/bin.linux26x86_64/p4broker
. make them executable
chmod +x p4*
=== Initial setup
The next steps highlight the setup and configuration of a new Helix Core instance using the SDP.
. cd to `$SDP/Server/Unix/setup` and copy `mkdirs.cfg` to an instance specific version such as `mkdirs.1.cfg` and edit it, information on the variables can be found in <<_configuration_script>> of this document.
+
Example:
cd $SDP/Server/Unix/setup
cp mkdirs.cfg mkdirs.1.cfg
vi mkdirs.1.cfg
+
Set the following:
P4ADMINPASS=********
MAILFROM=perforceadmin@myDomain.com
MAILHOST=myMailServer.myDomain.com
P4DNSNAME=thisMachine.myDomain.com
P4SERVICEPASS=********
MASTER_ID=myName.${SDP_INSTANCE}
. As the root user (or sudo), run this:
mkdirs.sh <instance number/name>
+
e.g.
mkdirs.sh 1
mkdirs.sh perfmain
IMPORTANT: If you use a "name" for the instance (not an integer) you MUST modify the P4PORT variable in `mkdirs.cfg`
NOTE: instance must map to the name of the cfg file or the default file will be used with potentially unexpected results.
+
e.g. `mkdirs.sh 1` requires `mkdirs.1.cfg`, or `mkdirs.sh lon` requires `mkdirs.lon.cfg`, or
. Put the Perforce license file for the server into `/p4/1/root`
NOTE: if you have multiple instances and have been provided with port-specific licenses by Perforce, the appropriate license file must be stored in the appropriate `/p4/<instance>/root` folder.
IMPORTANT: the license file must be renamed to `license`
Your Helix Core instance is now setup, but not running. The next steps detail how to make the Helix Core server a system service.
=== For Systems using systemd
RHEL 7, CentOS 7, SuSE 12, Ubuntu (>= v16.04) (and other) distributions utilize *systemd / systemctl* as the mechanism for controlling services, replacing the earlier init process. At present mkdirs.sh does *not* generate the systemd configuration file(s) automatically, but a sample is included in the SDP distribution in (`$SDP/Server/Unix/setup/systemd`), along with a README.md file that describes the configuration process, including for multiple instances.
We recommend that you give the OS user (perforce) sudo access, so that it can run the commands below prefixing them with sudo.
For simple installation run these commands as the root user (or prefix with `sudo`):
cp $SDP/Server/Unix/setup/system/p4d_1.system /etc/systemd/system/
systemctl enable p4d_1
|The above enables service for auto-start on boot. The following show management commands:
systemctl status p4d_1
systemctl start p4d_1
systemctl stop p4d_1
IMPORTANT: If you are using `systemd` and you have configured `systemctl` services, then it is vital you ALWAYS use `systemctl` to start/stop etc. Otherwise you risk database corruption if `systemd` does not think the service is running when it actually is running (for example on shutdown `systemd` will just kill processes without doing it cleanly and waiting for them, because it thinks the service is not running).
=== For (older) systems, still using init.d
The mkdirs.sh script creates a set of startup scripts in the instance-specific bin folder:
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init
/p4/1/bin/p4broker_1_init # only created if a p4broker executable found
/p4/1/bin/p4p_1_init # only created if a p4p executable found
Run these commands as the root user (or sudo): Repeat this step for all init scripts you wish to add.
cd /etc/init.d
ln -s /p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init
chkconfig --add p4d_1_init
chkconfig p4d_1_init on
== Upgrading an existing SDP installation
If you have an earlier version of the Server Deployment Package (SDP) installed, you'll want to be aware of the new -test flag to the SDP setup script, mkdirs.sh e.g.
sudo mkdirs.sh 1 -test
This will install into /tmp and allow you to recursively diff the installed files with your existing installation and manually update as necessary.
See the instructions in the file README.md / README.html in the root of the SDP directory.
== Configuration script
The mkdirs.sh script executed above resides in `$SDP/Server/Unix/setup`. It sets up the basic directory structure used by the SDP. Carefully review the config file `mkdirs.**_instance_**.cfg` for this script before running it, and adjust the values of the variables as required. The important parameters are:
[cols=",",options="header",]
|===
|Parameter |Description
|DB1 |Name of the hxmetadata1 volume (can be same as DB2)
|DB2 |Name of the hxmetadata2 volume (can be same as DB1)
|DD |Name of the hxdepots volume
|LG |Name of the hxlogs volume
|CN |Volume for /p4/common
|SDP |Path to SDP distribution file tree
|SHAREDDATA |TRUE or FALSE - whether sharing the /hxdepots volume with a replica - normally this is FALSE
|ADMINUSER |P4USER value of a Perforce super user that operates SDP scripts, typically perforce or p4admin.
|OSUSER |Operating system user that will run the Perforce instance, typically perforce.
|OSGROUP |Operating system group that OSUSER belongs to, typically perforce.
|CASE_SENSITIVE |Indicates if server has special case sensitivity settings
|SSL_PREFIX |Set if SSL is required so either "ssl:" or blank for no SSL
a|
P4ADMINPASS
P4SERVICEPASS
a|
Password to use for Perforce superuser account - can be edited later in /p4/common/config/.p4password.p4_1.admin
Service User's password for replication - can be edited later - same dir as above.
|P4DNSNAME |Fully qualified DNS name of the Perforce master server machine
|===
For a detailed description of this config file it is fully documented with in-file comments, or see
=== Use of SSL
As documented in the comments in mkdirs.cfg, if you are planning to use SSL you need to set the value of:
SSL_PREFIX=ssl:
Then you need to put certificates in `/p4/ssl` after the SDP install or you can generate a self signed certificate as follows:
Edit `/p4/ssl/config.txt` to put in the info for your company. Then run:
/p4/common/bin/p4master_run <instance> /p4/<instance>/p4d_<instance> -Gc
For example using instance 1:
/p4/common/bin/p4master_run 1 /p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -Gc
In order to validate that SSL is working correctly:
source /p4/common/bin/p4_vars 1
Check that P4TRUST is appropriately set in the output of:
p4 set
Update the P4TRUST values (answer yes when prompted - the second command uses the value of the `hostname` command):
p4 -p ssl:1666 trust
p4 -p ssl:`hostname`:1666 trust
Check the stored P4TRUST values:
p4 trust -l
Check you are not prompted for trust:
p4 login
p4 info
==== Starting/Stopping Perforce Server Products
The SDP includes templates for initialization (start/stop) scripts, "init scripts," for a variety of Perforce server products, including:
* p4d
* p4broker
* p4p
* p4dtg
* p4ftpd
* p4web
The init scripts are named `/p4/<instance>/bin/<service>_<instance>_init`, e.g. `/p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init` or `/p4/1/bin/p4broker_1_init`.
For example, the init script for starting p4d for Instance 1 is `/p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init`. All init scripts accept at least start, stop, and status arguments. The perforce user can start p4d by calling:
p4d_1_init start
And stop it by calling:
p4d_1_init stop
Once logged into Perforce as a super user, the p4 admin stop command can also be used to stop p4d.
All init scripts can be started as the perforce user or the root user (except p4web, which must start initially as root). The application runs as the perforce user in any case. If the init scripts are configured as system services (non-systemd distributions), they can also be called by the root user using the service command, as in this example to start p4d:
service p4d_1_init start
Templates for the init scripts used by `mkdirs.sh` are stored in:
/p4/common/etc/init.d
There are also basic crontab templates for a Perforce master and replica server in:
/p4/common/etc/cron.d
These define schedules for routine checkpoint operations, replica status checks, and email reviews.
The Perforce should have a super user defined as named by the P4USER setting in mkdir.
To configure and start instance 1, follow these steps:
[arabic]
. Start the Perforce server by calling
p4d_1_init start
+
or use `sudo systemctl start p4d_1` if using `sytemd`
. Ensure that the admin user configured above has the correct password defined in `/p4/common/config/.p4passwd.p4_1.admin`, and then run the p4login script (which calls the p4 login command using the `.p4passwd.p4_1.admin` file)
. For new servers, run this script, which sets several recommended configurables:
$SDP/Server/setup/configure_new_server.sh 1
For existing servers, examine this file, and manually apply the p4 configure command to set configurables on your Perforce server.
Initialize the perforce user's crontab with one of these commands:
crontab /p4/p4.crontab
and customise execution times for the commands within the crontab files to suite the specific installation.
The SDP uses wrapper scripts in the crontab: `run_if_master.sh`, `run_if_edge.sh`, `run_if_replica.sh`. We suggest you ensure these are working as desired, e.g.
/p4/common/bin/run_if_master.sh 1 echo yes
/p4/common/bin/run_if_replica.sh 1 echo yes
/p4/common/bin/run_if_edge.sh 1 echo yes
The above should output `yes` if you are on the master (commit) machine (or replica/edge as appropriate), but otherwise nothing. Any issues with the above indicate incorrect values for `$MASTER_ID`, or for other values within `/p4/common/config/p4_1.vars` (assuming instance `1`). You can debug this with:
bash -xv /p4/common/bin/run_if_master.sh 1 echo yes
If in doubt contact support.
==== Validating your SDP installation
Source your SDP environment variables and check that they look appropriate - for <instance> `1`:
source /p4/common/bin/p4_vars 1
The output of `p4 set` should be something like:
P4CONFIG=/p4/1/.p4config (config 'noconfig')
P4ENVIRO=/dev/null/.p4enviro
P4JOURNAL=/p4/1/logs/journal
P4LOG=/p4/1/logs/log
P4PCACHE=/p4/1/cache
P4PORT=ssl:1666
P4ROOT=/p4/1/root
P4SSLDIR=/p4/ssl
P4TICKETS=/p4/1/.p4tickets
P4TRUST=/p4/1/.p4trust
P4USER=perforce
There is a script `/p4/common/bin/verify_sdp.sh`. Run this specifying the <instance> id, e.g.
/p4/common/bin/verify_sdp.sh 1
The output should be something like:
verify_sdp.sh v5.6.1 Starting SDP verification on host helixcorevm1 at Fri 2020-08-14 17:02:45 UTC with this command line:
/p4/common/bin/verify_sdp.sh 1
If you have any questions about the output from this script, contact support@perforce.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doing preflight sanity checks.
Preflight Check: Ensuring these utils are in PATH: date ls grep awk id head tail
Verified: Essential tools are in the PATH.
Preflight Check: cd /p4/common/bin
Verified: cd works to: /p4/common/bin
Preflight Check: Checking current user owns /p4/common/bin
Verified: Current user [perforce] owns /p4/common/bin
Preflight Check: Checking /p4 and /p4/<instance> are local dirs.
Verified: P4HOME has expected value: /p4/1
Verified: This P4HOME path is not a symlink: /p4/1
Verified: cd to /p4 OK.
Verified: Dir /p4 is a local dir.
Verified: cd to /p4/1 OK.
Verified: P4HOME dir /p4/1 is a local dir.
Finishing with:
Verifications completed, with 0 errors and 0 warnings detected in 57 checks.
If it mentions something like:
Verifications completed, with 2 errors and 1 warnings detected in 57 checks.
then review the details. If in doubt contact support@perforce.com
Now that the server is running properly, copy the following configuration files to the hxdepots volume for backup purposes:
* Any init scripts used in `/etc/init.d` or any systemd scripts to `/etc/systemd/system`
* A copy of the crontab file, obtained using `crontab -l`.
* Any other relevant configuration scripts, such as cluster configuration scripts, failover scripts, or disk failover configuration files.
=== Archiving configuration files
Now that the server is running properly, copy the following configuration files to the hxdepots volume for backup:
* The scheduler configuration.
* Cluster configuration scripts, failover scripts, and disk failover configuration files.
=== Configuring protections, file types, monitoring and security
After the server is installed and configured, most sites will want to modify server permissions (protections) and security settings. Other common configuration steps include modifying the file type map and enabling process monitoring. To configure permissions, perform the following steps:
[arabic]
. To set up protections, issue the `p4 protect` command. The protections table is displayed.
. Delete the following line:
write user * * //depot/...
. Define protections for your server using groups. Perforce uses an inclusionary model. No access is given by default, you must specifically grant access to users/groups in the protections table. It is best for performance to grant users specific access to the areas of the depot that they need rather than granting everyone open access, and then trying to remove access via exclusionary mappings in the protect table even if that means you end up generating a larger protect table.
. To set the server's default file types, run the p4 typemap command and define typemap entries to override Perforce's default behavior.
. Add any file type entries that are specific to your site. Suggestions:
* For already-compressed file types (such as `.zip`, `.gz`, `.avi`, `.gif`), assign a file type of `binary+Fl` to prevent the server from attempting to compress them again before storing them.
* For regular binary files, add `binary+l` to make so that only one person at a time can check them out.
+
A sample file is provided in `$SDP/Server/config/typemap`
If you are doing things like games development with `Unreal Engine` or `Unity`, then there
are specific recommended typemaps to add in KB articles: https://community.perforce.com/s/[Search the Knowledge Base]
. To make your changelists default to restricted (for high security environments):
p4 configure set defaultChangeType=restricted
=== Other server configurables
There are various configurables that you should consider setting for your server.
Some suggestions are in the file: `$SDP/Server/setup/configure_new_server.sh`
Review the contents and either apply individual settings manually, or edit the file and apply the newly edited version. If you have any questions, please see the https://www.perforce.com/manuals/cmdref/Content/CmdRef/configurables.configurables.html[configurables section in Command Reference Guide appendix] (get the right version for your server!). You can also contact support regarding questions.
=== General SDP Usage
This section presents an overview of the SDP scripts and tools. Details about the specific scripts are provided in later sections.
==== Linux
Most scripts and tools reside in `/p4/common/bin`. The `/p4/<instance>/bin` directory (e.g. `/p4/1/bin`) contains scripts or links that are specific to that instance such as wrappers for the p4d executable.
Older versions of the SDP required you to always run important administrative commands using the `p4master_run` script, and specify fully qualified paths. This script loads environment information from `/p4/common/bin/p4_vars`, the central environment file of the SDP, ensuring a controlled environment. The `p4_vars` file includes instance specific environment data from `/p4/common/config/p4_**_instance_.**vars` e.g. `/p4/common/config/p4_1.vars`. The `p4master_run script` is still used when running p4 commands against the server unless you set up your environment first by sourcing p4_vars with the instance as a parameter (for bash shell: `source /p4/common/bin/p4_vars 1`). Administrative scripts, such as `daily_backup.sh`, no longer need to be called with `p4master_run` however, they just need you to pass the instance number to them as a parameter.
When invoking a Perforce command directly on the server machine, use the p4_**__instance__** wrapper that is located in `/p4/**_instance_**/bin`. This wrapper invokes the correct version of the p4 client for the instance. The use of these wrappers enables easy upgrades, because the wrapper is a link to the correct version of the p4 client. There is a similar wrapper for the p4d executable, called p4d_**__instance__**.
NOTE: This wrapper is important to handle case sensitivity in a consistent manner, e.g. when running a Unix server in case-insensitive mode. If you just execut `p4d` directly when it should be case-insenstive, then you may cause problems, or commands will fail.
Below are some usage examples for instance 1.
[cols=",",options="header",]
|===
|_Example_ |_Remarks_
|`/p4/common/bin/p4master_run 1 /p4/1/bin/p4_1 admin stop` |Run `p4 admin stop` on instance 1
|`/p4/common/bin/live_checkpoint.sh 1` |Take a checkpoint of the live database on instance 1
|`/p4/common/bin/p4login 1` |Log in as the perforce user (superuser) on instance 1.
|===
Some maintenance scripts can be run from any client workspace, if the user has administrative access to Perforce.
==== Monitoring SDP activities
The important SDP maintenance and backup scripts generate email notifications when they complete.
For further monitoring, you can consider options such as:
* Making the SDP log files available via a password protected HTTP server.
* Directing the SDP notification emails to an automated system that interprets the logs.
=== P4V Performance Settings
These are covered in: https://community.perforce.com/s/article/2878
== Backup, Replication, and Recovery
Perforce servers maintain _metadata_ and _versioned files_. The metadata contains all the information about the files in the depots. Metadata resides in database (db.*) files in the server's root directory (P4ROOT). The versioned files contain the file changes that have been submitted to the server. Versioned files reside on the hxdepots volume.
This section assumes that you understand the basics of Perforce backup and recovery. For more information, consult the Perforce https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/chapter.backup.html[System Administrator's Guide] and https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/failover.html#Failover[failover].
=== Typical Backup Procedure
The SDP's maintenance scripts, run as `cron` tasks, periodically back up the metadata. The weekly sequence is described below.
*Seven nights a week, perform the following tasks:*
[arabic]
. Truncate the active journal.
. Replay the journal to the offline database. (Refer to Figure 2: SDP Runtime Structure and Volume Layout for more information on the location of the live and offline databases.)
. Create a checkpoint from the offline database.
. Recreate the offline database from the last checkpoint.
*Once a week, perform the following tasks:*
[arabic]
. Verify all depot files.
*Once every few months, perform the following tasks:*
[arabic]
. Stop the live server.
. Truncate the active journal.
. Replay the journal to the offline database. (Refer to Figure 2: SDP Runtime Structure and Volume Layout for more information on the location of the live and offline databases.)
. Archive the live database.
. Move the offline database to the live database directory.
. Start the live server.
. Create a new checkpoint from the archive of the live database.
. Recreate the offline database from the last checkpoint.
. Verify all depots.
This normal maintenance procedure puts the checkpoints (metadata snapshots) on the hxdepots volume, which contains the versioned files. Backing up the hxdepots volume with a normal backup utility like _robocopy_ or _rsync_ provides you with all the data necessary to recreate the server.
To ensure that the backup does not interfere with the metadata backups (checkpoints), coordinate backup of the hxdepots volume using the SDP maintenance scripts.
The preceding maintenance procedure minimizes server downtime, because checkpoints are created from offline or saved databases while the server is running.
NOTE: With no additional configuration, the normal maintenance prevents loss of more than one day's metadata changes. To provide an optimal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recovery_point_objective[Recovery Point Objective] (RPO), the SDP provides additional tools for replication.
=== Planning for HA and DR
The concepts for HA (High Availability) and DR (Disaster Recovery) are fairly similar - they are both types of Helix Core replica.
When you have servers with Services of `commit-server`, `standard`, or `edge-server` - see https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/deployment-architecture.html[deployment architectures] you
should consider your requirements for how to recover from a failure to any such servers.
See also https://community.perforce.com/s/article/5434[Replica types and use cases]
The key issues are around ensuring that you have have appropriate values for the following measures for your Helix Core installation:
* RTO - Recovery Time Objective - how long will it take you to recover to a backup?
* RPO - Recovery Point Objective - how much data are you prepared to risk losing if you have to failover to a backup server?
We need to consider planned vs unplanned failover. Planned may be due to upgrading the core Operating System or some other dependency in your infrastructure, or a similar activity.
Unplanned covers risks you are seeking to mitigate with failover:
* loss of a machine, or some machine related hardware failure (e.g. network)
* loss of a VM cluster
* failure of storage
* loss of a data center or machine room
* etc...
So, if your main `commit-server` fails, how fast should be you be able to be up and running again, and how much data might you be prepared to lose? What is the potential disruption to your organisation if the Helix Core repository is down? How many people would be impacted in some way?
You also need to consider the costs of your mitigation strategies. For example, this can range from:
* taking a backup once per 24 hours and requiring maybe an hour or two to restore it. Thus you might lose up to 24 hours of work for an unplanned failure, and require several hours to restore.
* having a high availability replica which is a mirror of the server hardware and ready to take over within minutes if required
Having a replica for HA or DR is likely to reduce your RPO and RTO to well under an hour (<10 minutes if properly prepared for) - at the cost of the resources to run such a replica, and the management overhead to monitor it appropriately.
Typically we would define:
* An HA replica is close to its upstream server, e.g. in the same Data Center - this minimises the latency for replication, and reduces RPO
* A DR replica is in a more remote location, so maybe risks being further behind in replication (thus higher RPO), but mitigates against catastrophic loss of a data center or similar. Note that "further behind" is still typically seconds for metadata, but can be minutes for submits with many GB of files.
==== Further Resources
* https://community.perforce.com/s/article/3166[High Reliability Solutions]
==== Creating a Failover Replica for Commit or Edge Server
A commit server is the ultimate store for submitted data, and also for any workspace state (WIP - work in progress) for users directly working with the commit server.
An edge server maintains its own copy of workspace state (WIP). If you have people connecting to an edge server, then any workspaces they create (and files they open for some action) will be only stored on the edge server. Thus it is normally recommended to have an HA backup server, so that users don't lose their state in case of failover.
There is a concept of a "build edge" which is an edge server which only supports build farm users. In this scenario it may be deemed acceptable to not have an HA backup server, since in the case of failure of the edge, it can be re-seeded from the commit server. All build farm clients would be recreated from scratch so there would be no problems.
==== What is a Failover Replica?
As of 2018.2 release, p4d supports a `standby` replica (replica with `Services` set to `standby` or `forwarding-standby`). Such a replica performs a `journalcopy` replication of metadata, with a local pull thread to update its `db.*` files.
See also: https://community.perforce.com/s/article/16462[Configuring a Helix Core Standby] although the SDP script <<_using_mkrep_sh>> does all you require.
==== Mandatory vs Non-mandatory Standbys
When defining a standby server, you run `p4 server commit-standby` for example, to get:
ServerID: commit-standby
Type: server
Address: {standbyserver host}:{port number}
Services: standby
Options: nomandatory
ReplicatingFrom: {commit-server-ID}
Description: Standby server for {commit-server-ID}.
The `Options` field can be `nomandatory` or `mandatory`.
In the case of `mandatory`, the upstream commit server will wait until this server confirms it has processed and journal entries before responding to other downstream replicas. This allows easy failover, since it is guaranteed that no downstream servers is *ahead* of the replica.
Thus downstream servers can simply be re-directed to point to the standby and will carry on working without problems.
IMPORTANT: If a server which is marked as `mandatory` goes offline for any reason, the replication to other replicas will STOP - and it may not be obvious why it has stopped! Thus it is very important to monitor very carefully your "mandatory" replicas!
If set to `nomandatory` then there is no risk of delaying dowsntream replicas, however there is equally no guarantee that they will be able to switch seamlessly over to the new server.
NOTE: We recommend creating `mandatory` replica(s) if the server is local to its commit server, and also if you have good monitoring in place to quickly detect replication lag or other issues.
==== Server host naming conventions
This is recommended, but not a requirement for SDP scripts to implement failover.
* Use a name that does not indicate switchable roles, e.g. don't indicate in the name whether a host is a master/primary or backup, or edge server and it's backup. This might otherwise lead to confusion once you have performed a failover and the host name is no longer appropriate.
* Use names ending numeric designators, e.g. -01 or -05. The goal is to avoid being in a post-failover situation where a machine with `master` or `primary` is actually the backup. Also, the assumption is that host names will never need to change.
* While you don't want switchable roles baked into the hostname, you can have static roles, e.g. use p4d vs. p4p in the host name (as those generally don't change). The p4d could be primary, standby, edge, edge's standby (switchable roles).
* Using a short geographic site is sometimes helpful/desirable. If used, use the same site tag used in the ServerID, e.g. aus. Valid site tags should be listed in: `/p4/common/config/SiteTags.cfg` - see <<_using_mkrep_sh>>
* Using a short tag to indicate the major OS version is sometimes helpful/desirable, eg. c7 for CentOS 7, or r8 for RHEL 8. This is based on the idea that when the major OS is upgraded, you either move to new hardware, or change the host name (an exception to the rule above about never changing the hostname). This option maybe overkill for many sites.
* End users should reference a DNS name that may include the site tag, but would exclude the number, OS indicator, and server type (`p4d`/`p4p`/`p4broker`), replacing all that with just `perforce` or optionally just `p4`. General idea is that users needn't be bothered by under-the-covers tech of whether something is a proxy or replica.
* For edge servers, it is advisable to include `edge` in both the host and DNS name, as users and admins needs to be aware of the functional differences due to a server being an edge server.
Examples:
* `p4d-aus-r7-03`, a master in Austin on RHEL 7, pointed to by a DNS name like `p4-aus`.
* `p4d-aus-03`, a master in Austin (no indication of server OS), pointed to by a DNS name like `p4-aus`.
* `p4d-aus-r7-04`, a standby replica in Austin on RHEL 7, not pointed to by a DNS until failover, at which point it gets pointed to by `p4-aus`.
* `p4p-syd-r8-05`, a proxy in Sydney on RHEL 8, pointed to by a DNS name like `p4-syd`.
* `p4d-syd-r8-04`, a replica that replaced the proxy in Sydney, on RHEL 8, pointed to by a DNS name like `p4-syd` (same as the proxy it replaced).
* `p4d-edge-tok-s12-03`, an edge in Tokyo running SuSE12, pointed to by a DNS name like `p4edge-tok`.
* `p4d-edge-tok-s12-04`, a replica of an edge in Tokyo running SuSE12, not pointed to by a DNS name until failover, at which point it gets pointed to by `p4edge-tok`.
FQDNs (fully qualified DNS names) of short DNS names used in these examples would also exist, and would be based on the same short names.
=== Full One-Way Replication
Perforce supports a full one-way https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/replication.html[replication] of data from a master server to a replica, including versioned files. The https://www.perforce.com/manuals/cmdref/Content/CmdRef/p4_pull.html#p4_pull[p4 pull] command is the replication mechanism, and a replica server can be configured to know it is a replica and use the replication command. The p4 pull mechanism requires very little configuration and no additional scripting. As this replication mechanism is simple and effective, we recommend it as the preferred replication technique. Replica servers can also be configured to only contain metadata, which can be useful for reporting or offline checkpointing purposes. See the Distributing Perforce Guide for details on setting up replica servers.
If you wish to use the replica as a read-only server, you can use the https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/chapter.broker.html[P4Broker] to direct read-only commands to the replica or you can use a forwarding replica. The broker can do load balancing to a pool of replicas if you need more than one replica to handle your load.
==== Replication Setup
To configure a replica server, first configure a machine identically to the master server (at least as regards the link structure such as `/p4`, `/p4/common/bin` and `/p4/**_instance_**/*`), then install the SDP on it to match the master server installation. Once the machine and SDP install is in place, you need to configure the master server for replication.
Perforce supports many types of replicas suited to a variety of purposes, such as:
* Real-time backup,
* Providing a disaster recovery solution,
* Load distribution to enhance performance,
* Distributed development,
* Dedicated resources for automated systems, such as build servers, and more.
We always recommend first setting up the replica as a read-only replica and ensuring that everything is working. Once that is the case you can easily modify server specs and configurables to change it to a forwarding replica, or an edge server etc.
==== Replication Setup for Failover
This is just a special case of replication, but implementing <<_what_is_a_failover_replica>>
Please note the section below <<_using_mkrep_sh>> which implements many details.
==== Pre-requisites for Failover
These are vital as part of your planning.
* Obtain and install a license for your replica(s)
+
Your commit or standard server has a license file (tied to IP address), while your replicas do not require one to function as replicas.
+
However, in order for a replica to function as a replacement for a commit or standard server, it must have a suitable license installed.
+
This should be requested when the replica is first created. See the form: https://www.perforce.com/support/duplicate-server-request
* Review your authentication mechanism (LDAP etc) - is the LDAP server contactable from the replica machine (firewalls etc configured appropriately)
* Review all your triggers and how they are deployed - will they work on the failover host?
+
Is the right version of Perl/Python etc correctly installed and configured on the failover host with all imported libraries?
IMPORTANT: TEST, TEST, TEST!!! It is important to test the above issues as part of your planning. For peace of mind you don't want to be finding problems at the time of trying to failover for real, which may be in the middle of the night!
==== Using mkrep.sh
This script automates the following:
* creation of all the configurables for a replica appropriate to its type (e.g. forwarding-replica, forwarding-standby, edge-server etc).
* standard naming conventions are used for server ids, service user names etc. This simplifies managing multiple server/replica topologies and understanding the intended use of a replica (e.g. that it is intended for HA - high availability)
* creation of service user account, password, and with appropriate permissions
* creation of server spec
* detailed instructions to follow in order to create a checkpoint and restore on the replica server
Prerequisites:
* You must have a server spec for your master server, typically defined with Services: `commit-server` (`standard` is fine if no edge servers are to be created, but it is not a problem to use `commit-server` even without any edge servers) - use the serverid (output of `p4 serverid`) as the name.
* You should be running p4d 2018.2 or later (earlier versions of SDP address the use of pre 2018.2 servers) and 2020.1+ is recommended
* You should have a configuration file which defines site tags - this is part of naming and is validated.
===== Server Types
These are:
* ha - High Availability
* ham - High Availability (Metadata only)
* ro - Read only replica
* rom - Read only replica (Metadata only)
* fr - Forwarding replica
* fs - Forwarding standby
* frm - (Metadata only)
* fsm - (Metadata only)
* ffr - Filtered forwarding replica
* edge - Edge server
Replicas with `standby` in the name are always unfiltered, and use the `journalcopy` method of replication, which copies a byte-for-byte verbatim journal file rather than one that is merely logically equivalent.
This can also perform better as it multi-threads the actions of the replica to pull the journal and use it to update local metadata.
===== Example
An example run is:
/p4/common/bin/mkrep.sh -i 1 -t fs -s bos -r p4d-bos-02 -skip_ssh
The above will:
* Create a replica for instance `1`
* Of type `fs` (forwarding standby) - with appropriate configurables
* For site `bos` (e.g. Boston)
* On host name `p4d-bos-02`
* Without checking that passwordless ssh is possible to the host `p4d-bos-02`
The tag has several purposes:
* Short Hand. Each tag represents a combination of 'Type:' and fully qualified 'Services:' values used in server specs.
* Distillation. Only the most useful Type/Services combinations have a shorthand form.
* For forwarding replicas, the name includes the critical distinction of whether any replication filtering is used; as filtering of any kind disqualifies a replica from being a potential failover target. (No such distinction is needed for edge servers, which are filtered by definition).
===== Mkrep.sh output
The output (which is also written to a log file in `/p4/<instance>/logs/mkrep.*`) describes a number of steps required to continue setting up the replica, e.g.
* Rotate the current live journal (to save the configuration parameters required)
* Copy across latest checkpoint and the subsequent rotated journals to the replica host machine
* Restore the copied checkpoints/journals into `/p4/<instance>/root` (and `offline_db`)
* Create a password file for service user
* Create appropriate server.id files
* Login the service user to the upstream server (usually commit server)
* Start the replica process
* Monitor that all is well with `p4 pull -lj`
More details on these steps can be found in the manual process below as well as the actualy mkrep.sh output.
[source]
.Usage
----
include::../Server/Unix/p4/common/bin/mkrep.sh[tags=includeManual]
----
==== Manual Steps
We strongly recommend the use of `mkrep.sh` as it avoids forgetting particularly details.
However it is possible to manually configure a replica.
In the sample below, the replica name will be `p4d_fr_bos`, it is instance 1 on a particular host, the service user name is `svc_p4d_fr_bos`, and the master server's hostname is `svrmaster`.
The following sample commands illustrate how to setup a simple read-only replica.
First we ensure that journalPrefix is set appropriately for the master server (in this case we assume instance 1 rather than a named instance):
p4 configure set master#journalPrefix=/p4/1/checkpoints/p4_1
Then we set values for the replica itself:
p4 configure set p4d_fr_bos#P4TARGET=svrmaster:1667
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#startup.1=pull -i 1"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#startup.2=pull -u -i 1"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#startup.3=pull -u -i 1"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#startup.4=pull -u -i 1"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#startup.5=pull -u -i 1"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#db.replication=readonly"
p4 configure set "p4d_fr_bos#lbr.replication=readonly"
p4 configure set p4d_fr_bos#serviceUser=svc_p4d_fr_bos
Then the following also need to be setup:
* Create a service user for the replica (Add the Type: service field to the user form before saving):
p4 user -f svc_p4d_fr_bos
* Set the service user's password:
p4 passwd svc_p4d_fr_bos
* Add the service user svc_p4d_fr_bos to a specific group ServiceUsers which has a timeout value of unlimited:
p4 group ServiceUsers
* Make sure the ServiceUsers group has super access in protections table:
p4 protect
Now that the settings are in the master server, you need to create a checkpoint to seed the replica. Run:
/p4/common/bin/daily_checkpoint.sh 1
When the checkpoint finishes, rsync the checkpoint plus the versioned files over to the replica:
rsync -avz /p4/1/checkpoints/p4_1.ckp.###.gz perforce@p4d-bos-02:/p4/1/checkpoints/.
rsync -avz /p4/1/depots/ perforce@p4d-bos-02:/p4/1/depots/
(Assuming perforce is the OS user name and `p4d-bos-02` is the name of the replica server in the commands above, and that ### is the checkpoint number created by the daily backup.)
Once the rsync finishes, go to the replica machine run the following:
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -r /p4/1/root -jr -z /p4/1/checkpoints/p4_1.ckp.###.gz
Login as the service user (specifying appropriate password when prompted), and making sure that the login ticket generated is stored in the same place as specified in the P4TICKETS configurable value set above for the replica (the following uses bash syntax):
source /p4/common/bin/p4_vars 1
/p4/1/bin/p4_1 -p svrmaster:1667 -u svc_p4d_fr_bos login
Start the replica instance (either using _init script or systemctl if on system):
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init start
Now, you can log into the replica server itself and run p4 pull -lj to check to see if replication is working. If you see any numbers with a negative sign in front of them, replication is not working. The most likely cause of this is that the service user is not logged in. Rerun the steps above to login the service user and check again. If replication still is not working, check /p4/1/logs/log on the replica, and also look for authentication failures in the log for the master instance on svrmaster.
The final steps for setting up the replica server are to set up the crontab for the replica server.
To configure the ssh trust:
On both the master and replica servers, go to the perforce user's home directory and run:
ssh-keygen -t rsa
Just use the defaults for the questions it asks.
Now from the master, run:
rsync -avz ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub perforce@p4d-bos-02:~/.ssh/authorized_keys
and from the replica, run:
rsync -avz ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub perforce@svrmaster:~/.ssh/authorized_keys
The crontab (/p4/p4.crontab) contains several lines which are prefixed by `/p4/common/bin/run_if_replica.sh` or `run_if_edge.sh` or `run_if_master.sh`
These can be tested to make sure all is valid with:
/p4/common/bin/run_if_replica.sh 1 echo yes
If "yes" is output then SDP thinks the current hostname with instance 1 is a replica server. Similarly for edge/master.
The log files will be in `/p4/1/logs`, so you can check for any errors from each script.
=== Recovery Procedures
There are three scenarios that require you to recover server data:
[cols=",,",options="header",]
|===
|Metadata |Depotdata |Action required
|lost or corrupt |Intact |Recover metadata as described below
|Intact |lost or corrupt |Call Perforce Support
|lost or corrupt |lost or corrupt a|
Recover metadata as described below.
Recover the hxdepots volume using your normal backup utilities.
|===
Restoring the metadata from a backup also optimizes the database files.
==== Recovering a master server from a checkpoint and journal(s)
The checkpoint files are stored in the `/p4/**_instance_**/checkpoints` directory, and the most recent checkpoint is named `p4_**_instance_**.ckp.**_number_**.gz`. Recreating up-to-date database files requires the most recent checkpoint, from `/p4/**_instance_**/checkpoints` and the journal file from `/p4/**_instance_**/logs`.
To recover the server database manually, perform the following steps from the root directory of the server (/p4/instance/root).
Assuming instance 1:
[arabic]
. Stop the Perforce Server by issuing the following command:
/p4/1/bin/p4_1 admin stop
. Delete the old database files in the `/p4/1/root/save` directory
. Move the live database files (db.*) to the save directory.
. Use the following command to restore from the most recent checkpoint.
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -r /p4/1/root -jr -z /p4/1/checkpoints/p4_1.ckp.####.gz
. To replay the transactions that occurred after the checkpoint was created, issue the following command:
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -r /p4/1/root -jr /p4/1/logs/journal
[arabic, start=6]
. Restart your Perforce server.
If the Perforce service starts without errors, delete the old database files from `/p4/instance/root/save`.
If problems are reported when you attempt to recover from the most recent checkpoint, try recovering from the preceding checkpoint and journal. If you are successful, replay the subsequent journal.
If the journals are corrupted, contact mailto:support@perforce.com[Perforce Technical Support].
For full details about backup and recovery, refer to the https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/chapter.backup.html[Perforce System Administrator's Guide].
==== Recovering a replica from a checkpoint
This is very similar to creating a replica in the first place as described above.
If you have been running the replica crontab commands as suggested, then you will have the latest checkpoints from the master already copied across to the replica through the use of <<_sync_replica_sh>>.
See the steps in the script <<_sync_replica_sh>> for details (note that it deletes the state and rdb.lbr files from the replica root directory so that the replica starts replicating from the start of a journal).
Remember to ensure you have logged the service user in to the master server (and that the ticket is stored in the correct location as described when setting up the replica).
==== Recovering from a tape backup
This section describes how to recover from a tape or other offline backup to a new server machine if the server machine fails. The tape backup for the server is made from the hxdepots volume. The new server machine must have the same volume layout and user/group settings as the original server. In other words, the new server must be as identical as possible to the server that failed.
To recover from a tape backup, perform the following steps (assuming instance `1`):
[arabic]
. Recover the hxdepots volume from your backup tape.
. Create the `/p4` convenience directory on the OS volume.
. Create the directories `/metadata/p4/1/root/save` and `/metadata/p4/1/offline_db`.
. Change ownership of these directories to the OS account that runs the Perforce processes.
. Switch to the Perforce OS account, and create a link in the `/p4` directory to `/depotadata/p4/1`.
. Create a link in the `/p4` directory to `/hxdepots/p4/common`.
. As a super-user, reinstall and enable the `init.d` scripts
. Find the last available checkpoint, under `/p4/1/checkpoints`
. Recover the latest checkpoint by running:
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -r /p4/1/root -jr -z <last_ckp_file>
. Recover the checkpoint to the offline_db directory (assuming instance 1):
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -r /p4/1/offline_db -jr -z <last_ckp_file>
. Reinstall the Perforce server license to the server root directory.
. Start the perforce service by running 1/p4/1/bin/p4d_1_init start`
. Verify that the server instance is running.
. Reinstall the server crontab or scheduled tasks.
. Perform any other initial server machine configuration.
. Verify the database and versioned files by running the `p4verify.sh` script. Note that files using the https://www.perforce.com/manuals/cmdref/Content/CmdRef/file.types.synopsis.modifiers.html[+k] file type modifier might be reported as BAD! after being moved. Contact Perforce Technical Support for assistance in determining if these files are actually corrupt.
==== Failover to a replicated standby machine
See link:SDP_Failover_Guide.pdf[SDP Failover Guide (PDF)] or link:SDP_Failover_Guide.html[SDP Failover Guide (HTML)]
for detailed steps.
== Server Maintenance
This section describes typical maintenance tasks and best practices for administering server machines.
=== Server upgrades
Upgrading a server instance in the SDP framework is a simple process involving a few steps.
* Download the new p4 and p4d executables for your OS from ftp://ftp.perforce.com[ftp.perforce.com] and place them in `/p4/common/bin`
* Run:
/p4/common/bin/upgrade.sh <instance>
+
e.g.
/p4/common/bin/upgrade.sh 1
* If you are running replicas, upgrade the replicas first, and then the master (outside -> in)
Please refer to details for <<_upgrade_sh>>
=== Database Modifications
Occasionally modifications are made to the Perforce database from one release to another. For example, server upgrades and some recovery procedures modify the database.
When upgrading the server, replaying a journal patch, or performing any activity that modifies the db.* files, you must restart the offline checkpoint process so that the files in the offline_db directory match the ones in the live server directory. The easiest way to restart the offline checkpoint process is to run the live_checkpoint script after modifying the db.* files, as follows:
/p4/common/bin/live_checkpoint.sh 1
This script makes a new checkpoint of the modified database files in the live `root` directory, then recovers that checkpoint to the `offline_db` directory so that both directories are in sync. This script can also be used anytime to create a checkpoint of the live database.
This command should be run when an error occurs during offline checkpointing. It restarts the offline checkpoint process from the live database files to bring the offline copy back in sync. If the live checkpoint script fails, contact Perforce Consulting at consulting@perforce.com.
== Maximizing Server Performance
The following sections provide some guidelines for maximizing the performance of the Perforce Server, using tools provided by the SDP. More information on this topic can be found in the https://community.perforce.com/s/article/2529[Knowledge Base].
=== Optimizing the database files
The Perforce Server's database is composed of b-tree files. The server does not fully rebalance and compress them during normal operation. To optimize the files, you must checkpoint and restore the server. This normally only needs to be done very few months.
To minimize the size of back up files and maximize server performance, minimize the size of the db.have and db.label files.
=== Proactive Performance Maintenance
This section describes some things that can be done to proactively to enhance scalability and maintain performance.
==== Limiting large requests
To prevent large requests from overwhelming the server, you can limit the amount of data and time allowed per query by setting the maxresults, maxscanrows and maxlocktime parameters to the lowest setting that does not interfere with normal daily activities. As a good starting point, set maxscanrows to maxresults * 3; set maxresults to slightly larger than the maximum number of files the users need to be able to sync to do their work; and set maxlocktime to 30000 milliseconds. These values must be adjusted up as the size of your server and the number of revisions of the files grow. To simplify administration, assign limits to groups rather than individual users.
To prevent users from inadvertently accessing large numbers of files, define their client view to be as narrow as possible, considering the requirements of their work. Similarly, limit users' access in the protections table to the smallest number of directories that are required for them to do their job.
Finally, keep triggers simple. Complex triggers increase load on the server.
==== Offloading remote syncs
For remote users who need to sync large numbers of files, Perforce offers a https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/p4sag/Content/P4SAG/chapter.proxy.html[proxy server]. P4P, the Perforce Proxy, is run on a machine that is on the remote users' local network. The Perforce Proxy caches file revisions, serving them to the remote users and diverting that load from the main server.
P4P is included in the Windows installer. To launch P4P on Unix machines, copy the `/p4/common/etc/init.d/p4p_1_init script` to `/p4/1/bin/p4p_1_init`. Then review and customize the script to specify your server volume names and directories.
P4P does not require special hardware but it can be quite CPU intensive if it is working with binary files, which are CPU-intensive to attempt to compress. It doesn't need to be backed up. If the P4P instance isn't working, users can switch their port back to the main server and continue working until the instance of P4P is fixed.
== Tools and Scripts
This section describes the various scripts and files provided as part of the SDP package. To run main scripts, the machine must have Python 2.7, and a few scripts require Perl 5. The Maintenance scripts can be run from the server machine or from client machines.
The following various scripts.
=== Core Scripts
The core SDP scripts are those related to checkpoints and other scheduled operations, and all run from /p4/common/bin.
==== p4_vars
Defines the environment variables required by the Perforce server. This script uses a specified instance number as a basis for setting environment variables. It will look for and open the respective p4_<instance>.vars file (see next section).
This script also sets server logging options and configurables.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== p4_<instance>.vars
Defines the environment variables for a specific instance, including P4PORT etc.
For instance `1`:
p4_1.vars
For instance `art`:
p4_art.vars
*Location*: /p4/common/config
==== p4master_run
This is the wrapper script to other SDP scripts. This ensures that the shell environment is loaded from `p4_vars`. It provides a '-c' flag for silent operation, used in many crontab so that email is sent from the scripts themselves.
This script is somewhat historical, in that most scripts now directly `source` the `p4_vars` script directly. It is still occasionally useful.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== daily_checkpoint.sh
This script is configured to run six days a week using crontab. The script:
* truncates the journal
* replays it into the `offline_db` directory
* creates a new checkpoint from the resulting database files
* recreates the `offline_db` databsae from the new checkpoint.
This procedure rebalances and compresses the database files in the `offline_db` directory. These are rotated into the live (`root`) databse, by the script <<_refresh_P4ROOT_from_offline_db_sh>>
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== recreate_offline_db.sh
Recovers the offline_db database from the latest checkpoint and replays any journals since then. If you have a problem with the offline database then it is worth running this script first before running <<_live_checkpoint_sh>>, as the latter will stop the server while it is running, which can take hours for a large installation.
Run this script if an error occurs while replaying a journal during daily checkpoint process.
This script recreates offline_db files from the latest checkpoint. If it fails, then
check to see if the most recent checkpoint in the `/p4/<instance>/checkpoints` directory is
bad (ie doesn't look like the right size compared to the others), and if so, delete it
and rerun this script. If the error you are getting is that the journal replay failed,
then the only option is to run <<_live_checkpoint_sh>> script.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== live_checkpoint.sh
This is a fallback option for use when you suspect that the `offline_db` has become corrupt.
This performs the following actions:
* Stops the server
* Creates a checkpoint from the live database files
* Recovers the `offline_db` database from that checkpoint to rebalance and compress the files
Run this script when creating the server and if an error occurs while replaying a journal during the off-line checkpoint process.
IMPORTANT: Be aware it locks live database for the duration of the checkpoint which can take hours for a large installation (please check the `/p4/1/logs/checkpoint.log` for the most recent output of `daily_backup.sh` to see how long checkpoints take to create/restore).
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== p4verify.sh
Verifies the integrity of the depot files. This script is run by crontab on a regular basis.
It verifies https://www.perforce.com/manuals/cmdref/Content/CmdRef/p4_verify.html[both shelves and ordinary archive files]
Any errors in the log file (e.g. `/p4/1/logs/p4verify.log`) should be handled according to KB articles:
* https://community.perforce.com/s/article/3186[MISSING! errors from p4 verify]
* https://community.perforce.com/s/article/2404[BAD! error from p4 verify]
If in doubt contact support@perforce.com
Our recommendation is that you should expect this to be without error, and you should address errors sooner rather than later. This could involved obliterating unrecoverable errors.
NOTE: when run on replicas, this will also append the `-t` flag to the `p4 verify` command to ensure that MISSING files are scheduled for transfer. This is useful to keep replicas (includ edge servers) up-to-date.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== p4login
Executes a p4 login command, using the administration password configured in `mkdirs.cfg` and subsequently stored in a text file: `/p4/common/config/.p4passwd
.p4_<instance>.admin`
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
[source]
.Usage
----
include::../Server/Unix/p4/common/bin/p4login[tags=includeManual]
----
==== p4d_<instance>_init
Starts the Perforce server.
IMPORTANT: Do not use directly if you have configured systemctl for systemd Linux distributions such as CentOS 7.x. This risks database corruption if `systemd` does not think the service is running when it actually is running (for example on shutdown systemd will just kill processes without waiting for them).
This script sources `/p4/common/bin/p4_vars`, then runs `/p4/common/bin/p4d_base` (<<_p4d_base>>).
NOTE: In clustered environments, put this script in the `/p4/<instance>/bin` directory and configure your cluster software to launch it from this location.
*Location*: `/p4/<instance>/bin` with a symlink to it from `/etc/init.d` (or a copy in `/etc/init.d` in a clustered environments). Templates for init scripts for other Perforce server products exist in `/p4/common/etc/init.d`
==== refresh_P4ROOT_from_offline_db.sh
This script is intended to be used every 1-3 months to ensure that your live (`root`) database files are defragmented.
It will:
* stop p4d
* truncate/rotate live journal
* replay journals to offline_db
* switch the links between `root` and `offline_db`
* restart p4d
It also knows how to do similar processes on edge servers and standby servers or other replicas.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== run_if_master.sh
See <<_run_if_masteredgereplica_sh>>
==== run_if_edge.sh
See <<_run_if_masteredgereplica_sh>>
==== run_if_replica.sh
See <<_run_if_masteredgereplica_sh>>
==== run_if_master/edge/replica.sh
The SDP uses wrapper scripts in the crontab: `run_if_master.sh`, `run_if_edge.sh`, `run_if_replica.sh`. We suggest you ensure these are working as desired, e.g.
/p4/common/bin/run_if_master.sh 1 echo yes
/p4/common/bin/run_if_replica.sh 1 echo yes
/p4/common/bin/run_if_edge.sh 1 echo yes
It is important to ensure these are returning the valid results for the server machine you are on.
Any issues with these scripts are likely configuration issues with `/p4/common/config/p4_1.vars` (for instance `1`)
=== More Server Scripts
These scripts are helpful components of the SDP that run on the server, but are not included in the default crontab schedules.
==== upgrade.sh
Runs a typical upgrade process, once new p4 and p4d binaries are available in `/p4/common/bin` - saved as `p4` and `p4d` respectively (overwriting any existing files with those names).
This script will:
* Rotate the journal (to provide a clean recovery point)
* Apply all necessary journals to offline_db
* Stop the server
* Create an appropriately versioned link for new p4/p4d/p4broker etc
* Link those into `/p4/1/bin` (per instance)
* Run `p4d -xu` on live and offline_db to perform database upgrades (in a version aware manner, for example pre 2018.2 servers are treated differently to 2018.2 or later servers)
* Restart server instance
The versioned binary links in `/p4/common/bin` are as below.
For the example of <instance> `1` we have:
ls -l /p4/1/bin
p4d_1 -> /p4/common/bin/p4d_1_bin
NOTE: For a case insenstive server, `p4d_1` is not a link, but instead a very simple bash script which ensures that the parameter `-C1` is always supplied when the base `p4d` is executed. This is important to avoid possible mismatch in case sensitivity commands which risk corrupting the database.
Case insensitive `p4d_1` is not a link but executes:
#!/bin/bash
P4D=/p4/common/bin/p4d_1_bin
exec $P4D -C1 "$@"
Note that the above executes the same `p4d_1_bin` as below.
If we look in `/p4/common/bin` we see:
p4d_1_bin -> p4d_2020.1_bin
p4d_2020.1_bin -> p4d_2020.1.1991450
p4d_2020.1.1991450
The naming of the last comes from:
./p4d_2020.1.1991450 -V
:
Rev. P4D/LINUX26X86_64/2020.1/1991450 (2020/07/31).
:
So we see the build number `1991450` being included in the name of the p4d executable.
While this may seem an unecessarily complex series of links, it allows implementation scenarios where there are multiple instances on the same server machine, and where each instance is upgraded independently.
NOTE: it is not recommended to do the linking manually (although of course possible, but surprisingly easy to get wrong!).
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== p4.crontab
Contains crontab entries to run the server maintenance scripts.
*Location*: /p4/sdp/Server/Unix/p4/common/etc/cron.d
==== verify_sdp.sh
Does basic verification of SDP setup.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
[source]
.Usage
----
include::../Server/Unix/p4/common/bin/verify_sdp.sh[tags=includeManual]
----
=== Other Scripts and Files
The following table describes other files in the SDP distribution. These files are usually not invoked directly by you; rather, they are invoked by higher-level scripts.
[cols=",,",options="header",]
|===
|File |Location |Remarks
|Perl Modules (*.pm files) |`/p4/common/lib` |Modules used by some Perl scripts.
|===
==== backup_functions.sh
This contains lots of standard Bash functions which are used in other scripts.
It is *sourced* (`source /p4/common/bin/backup_functions.sh`) by most of the other scripts in order to use the common shared functions and to avoid duplication.
It is not intendend to be called directly by the user.
==== broker_rotate.sh
This script rotates the broker log file on an instance that only has the broker running.
It can be adde to a crontab for e.g. daily log rotation.
Usage:
/p4/common/bin/broker_rotate.sh 1
==== edge_dump.sh
This script is designed to create a seed checkpoint for an Edge server.
An edge server is naturally filtered, with certain database tables (e.g.
db.have) excluded. In addition to implicit filtering, the server spec may
specify additional tables to be excluded, e.g. by using the
ArchiveDataFilter field of the server spec.
The script requires the SDP instance and the edge ServerID.
Run example:
./edge_dump.sh 1 p4d_edge_syd
It will output the full path of the checkpoint to be copied to the edge server and used with <<_recover_edge_sh>>
==== edge_vars
This file is sourced by scripts that work on edge servers.
It sets the correct list db.* files that are edge-specific in the
federated architecture. This version is dependent on the version of
p4d in use.
It is not intended for users to call directly.
==== edge_shelf_replicate.sh
This script is intended to be run on an edge server and will ensure
that all shelves are replicated to that edge server (by running `p4 print` on them).
Only use if directed to by support/consulting.
==== load_checkpoint.sh
Loads a checkpoint for commit/edge/replica instance.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
[source]
.Usage
----
include::../Server/Unix/p4/common/bin/load_checkpoint.sh[tags=includeManual]
----
==== gen_default_broker_cfg.sh
Generate an SDP instance-specific variant of the generic
P4Broker config file. Display to standard output.
Usage:
cd /p4/common/bin
gen_default_broker_cfg.sh 1 > /tmp/p4broker.cfg.ToBeReviewed
The final p4broker.cfg should end up here:
/p4/common/config/p4_${SDP_INSTANCE}.${SERVERID}.broker.cfg
==== journal_watch.sh
This script will check diskspace available to P4JOURNAL and trigger a journal
rotation based on specified thresholds. This is useful in case you are in danger of
running out of disk space and your rotated journal files are stored on a separate
partition than the active journal.
This script is using the following external variables:
* SDP_INSTANCE - The instance of Perforce that is being backed up. If not
set in environment, pass in as argument to script.
* P4JOURNALWARN - Amount of space left (K,M,G,%) before min journal space where an email alert is sent
* P4JOURNALWARNALERT - Send an alert if warn threshold is reached (true/false, default: false)
* P4JOURNALROTATE - Amount of space left (K,M,G,%) before min journal space to trigger a journal rotation
* P4OVERRIDEKEEPJNL - Allow script to temporarily override KEEPJNL to retain enough journals to replay against oldest checkpoint (true/false, default: false)
Usage:
./journal_watch.sh <P4JOURNALWARN> <P4JOURNALWARNALERT> <P4JOURNALROTATE> <P4OVERRIDEKEEPJNL (Optional)>
Examples:
Run from CLI that will warn via email if less than 20% is available and rotate journal when less than 10% is available
./journal_watch.sh 20% TRUE 10% TRUE
Cron job that will warn via email if less than 20% is available and rotate journal when less than 10% is available
30 * * * * [ -e /p4/common/bin ] && /p4/common/bin/run_if_master.sh ${INSTANCE} /p4/common/bin/journal_watch.sh ${INSTANCE} 20\% TRUE 10\% TRUE
==== kill_idle.sh
Runs `p4 monitor terminate` on all processes showing in the output of `p4 monitor show` that are
in the IDLE state.
==== p4d_base
This is the script to start/stop/restart the `p4d` instance.
It is called by `p4d_1_init` script (and thus also `systemctl` on systemd Linux distributions)
It ensures appropriate parameters are specified for journal/log and other variables.
==== p4broker_base
Very similar to <<_p4d_base>> but for the `p4broker` service instance.
See https://www.perforce.com/manuals/p4dist/Content/P4Dist/chapter.broker.html[p4broker in SysAdmin Guide]
==== p4ftpd_base
Very similar to <<_p4d_base>> but for the `p4ftp` service instance.
This product is very seldom used these days!
See https://www.perforce.com/manuals/p4ftp/index.html[P4FTP Installation Guide.]
==== p4login-super.sh
Very simple utility script to login the SDP defined super user.
==== p4p_base
Very similar to <<_p4d_base>> but for the `p4p` (P4 Proxy) service instance.
See https://www.perforce.com/manuals/p4dist/Content/P4Dist/chapter.proxy.html[p4proxy in SysAdmin Guide]
==== p4pcm.pl
This utility removes files in the proxy cache if the amount of free disk space
falls below the low threshold.
[source]
.Usage
----
include::../Server/Unix/p4/common/bin/p4pcm.pl[tags=includeManual]
----
==== p4review.py
Sends out email containing the change descriptions to users who are configured as reviewers for affected files (done by setting the Reviews: field in the user specification). This script is a version of the p4review.py script that is available on the Perforce Web site, but has been modified to use the server instance number. It relies on a configuration file in /p4/common/config, called p4_<instance>.p4review.cfg. On Windows, a driver called run_p4review.cmd, located in the same directory, allows you to run the review daemon through the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_Scheduler[Windows scheduler].
This is not required if you have installed Swarm which also performs notification functions and is easier for users to configure.
*Location*: /p4/common/bin
==== p4review2.py
Enhanced version of <<_p4review_py>>
. Run p4review2.py --sample-config > p4review.conf
. Edit the file p4review.conf
. Add a crontab similar to this:
* * * * * python2.7 /path/to/p4review2.py -c /path/to/p4review.conf
Features:
* Prevent multiple copies running concurrently with a simple lock file.
* Logging support built-in.
* Takes command-line options.
* Configurable subject and email templates.
* Can (optionally) include URLs for changelists/jobs. Examples for
P4Web included.
* Use P4Python when available and use P4 (the CLI) as a fallback.
* Option to send a __single__ email per user per invocation instead of
multiple ones.
* Reads config from a INI-like file using ConfigParser
* Have command line options that overrides environment variables.
* Handles unicode-enabled server **and** non-ASCII characters on a
non-unicode-enabled server.
* Option to opt-in (--opt-in-path) reviews globally (for migration
from old review daemon).
* Configurable URLs for changes/jobs/users (for swarm).
* Able to limit the maximum email message size with a configurable.
* SMTP auth and TLS (not SSL) support.
* Handles P4 auth (optional, not recommended!).
==== p4sanity_check.sh
This is a simple script to run:
* p4 set
* p4 info
* p4 changes -m 10
==== p4web_base
Very similar to <<_p4d_base>> but for the `p4web` service instance.
This product is very seldom used these days - since it has been replaced by Swarm.
==== p4dstate.sh
This is a trouble-shooting script for use when directed by support, e.g. in situations such as server hanging, major locking problems etc.
It is an "SDP-aware" version of the https://community.perforce.com/s/article/15261[standard p4dstate.sh] so that it only requires the
SDP instance to be specified as a parameter (since the location of logs etc are defined by SDP).
Example:
./p4dstate.sh 1
==== ps_functions.sh
Common functions for using 'ps' to check on process ids. Not intended to be called directly but just to be sourced by other scripts.
get_pids ($exe)
Usage: Call with an exe name, e.g. /p4/1/bin/p4web_1
Example:
p4web_pids=$(get_pids $P4WEBBIN)
p4broker_pids=$(get_pids $P4BROKERBIN)
==== purge_revisions.sh
This script will allow you to archive files and optionally purge files based
on a configurable number of days and minimum revisions that you want to keep.
This is useful if you want to keep a certain number of days worth of files
instead of a specific number of revisions.
Note: If you run this script with purge mode disabled, and then enable it after
the fact, all previously archived files specified in the configuration file will
be purged if the configured criteria is met.
Prior to running this script, you may want to disable server locks for archive
to reduce impact to end users.
https://www.perforce.com/perforce/doc.current/manuals/cmdref/Content/CmdRef/configurables.configurables.html#server.locks.archive
Parameters:
* SDP_INSTANCE - The instance of Perforce that is being backed up. If not set in environment, pass in as argument to script.
* P4_ARCHIVE_CONFIG - The location of the config file used to determine retention. If not set in environment, pass in as argument to script. This can be stored on a physical disk or somewhere in perforce.
* P4_ARCHIVE_DEPOT - Depot to archive the files in (string)
* P4_ARCHIVE_REPORT_MODE - Do not archive revisions; report on which revisions would have been archived (bool - default: true)
* P4_ARCHIVE_TEXT - Archive text files (or other revisions stored in delta format, such as files of type binary+D) (bool - default: false)
* P4_PURGE_MODE - Enables purging of files after they are archived (bool - default: false)
CONFIG FILE FORMAT:
The config file should contain a list of file paths, number of days and minimum
of revisions to keep in a tab delimited format.
<PATH> <DAYS> <MINIMUM REVISIONS>
Example:
//test/1.txt 10 1
//test/2.txt 1 3
//test/3.txt 10 10
//test/4.txt 30 3
//test/5.txt 30 8
USAGE: ./purge_revisions.sh <SDP_INSTANCE> <P4_ARCHIVE_CONFIG> <P4_ARCHIVE_DEPOT> <P4_ARCHIVE_REPORT_MODE (Optional)> 4_ARCHIVE_TEXT (Optional)> <P4_PURGE_MODE (Optional)>
EXAMPLES:
Run from CLI that will archive files as defined in the config file
./purge_revisions.sh 1 /p4/common/config/p4_1.p4purge.cfg archive FALSE
Cron job that will will archive files as defined in the config file, including text files
30 0 * * * [ -e /p4/common/bin ] && /p4/common/bin/run_if_master.sh ${INSTANCE} /p4/common/bin/purge_revisions.sh $NSTANCE} /p4/common/config/p4_1.p4purge.cfg archive FALSE FALSE
==== recover_edge.sh
This script is designed to rebuild an Edge server from a seed checkpoint from
the master WHILE KEEPING THE EXISTING EDGE SPECIFIC DATA.
You have to first copy the seed checkpoint from the master, created with
<<_edge_dump_sh>>, to the edge server before running this script. (Alternately,
a full checkpoint from the master can be used so long as the edge server
spec does not specify any filtering, e.g. does not use ArchiveDataFilter.)
Then run this script on the Edge server with the instance number and full
path of the master seed checkpoint as parameters.
Run example:
./recover_edge.sh 1 /p4/1/checkpoints/p4_1.edge_syd.seed.ckp.9188.gz
==== replica_cleanup.sh
This script performs the following actions for a replica:
* rotate logs
* remove old checkpoints and journals
* remove old logs
It is a convenenience script for occasional use.
==== replica_status.sh
This script is regularly run by crontab on a replica or edge (using <<_run_if_replica_sh>>)
0 8 * * * [ -e /p4/common/bin ] && /p4/common/bin/run_if_replica.sh ${INSTANCE} /p4/common/bin/replica_status.sh ${INSTANCE} > /dev/null
0 8 * * * [ -e /p4/common/bin ] && /p4/common/bin/run_if_edge.sh ${INSTANCE} /p4/common/bin/replica_status.sh ${INSTANCE} > /dev/null
It performs a `p4 pull -lj` command on the replica to report current replication status, and emails this to the standard SDP administrator email on a daily basis. This is useful for monitoring purposes to detect replica lag or similar problems.
If you are using enhance monitoring such as https://github.com/perforce/p4prometheus[p4prometheus] then this script may not be required.
==== request_replica_checkpoint.sh
This script is intended to be run on a standby replica. It essentially just
calls 'p4 admin checkpoint -Z' to reqeust a checkpoint and exits. The actual
checkpoint is created on the next journal rotation on the master.
==== rotate_journal.sh
This script is a convenience script to perform the following actions for the specified instance (single parameter):
* rotate live journal
* replay it to the `offline_db`
* rotate logs files according to the settings in `p4_vars` for things like `KEEP_LOGS`
It is not often used.
==== sync_replica.sh
This script is included in the standard crontab for a replica.
It runs `rsync` to mirror the `/p4/1/checkpoints` (assumings instance `1`) directory to the replica machine.
It then uses the latest checkpoint in that directory to update the local `offline_db` directory for the replica.
This ensures that the replica can be quickly and easily reseeded if required without having to first copy checkpoints locally (which can take hours over slow WAN links).
==== templates directory
This sub-directory of `/p4/common/bin` contains some files which can be used as templates
for new commands if you wish:
* template.pl - Perl
* template.py - Python
* template.py.cfg - config file for python
* template.sh - Bash
They are not intended to be run directly.
==== update_limits.py
This is a Python script which is intended to be called from a crontab entry one per hour.
It ensures that all current users are added to the `limits` group. This makes it easy for an administrator to configure global limits on values such as MaxScanRows, MaxSearchResults etc. This can reduce load on a heavily loaded instance.
For more information:
* https://community.perforce.com/s/article/2529[Maximising Perforce Helix Core Performance]
* https://community.perforce.com/s/article/2521[Multiple MaxScanRows and similar values]
[appendix]
== SDP Package Contents
The directory structure of the SDP is shown below in Figure 1 - SDP Package Directory Structure. This includes all SDP files, including documentation and maintenance scripts. A subset of these files are deployed to server machines during the installation process.
sdp
doc
Server (Core SDP Files)
Unix
setup (unix specific setup)
p4
common
bin (Backup scripts, etc)
triggers (Example triggers)
config
etc
cron.d
init.d
lib
test
setup (cross platform setup - typemap, configure, etc)
test (automated test scripts)
Figure 1 - SDP Package Directory Structure
=== Volume Layout and Server Planning
Figure 2: SDP Runtime Structure and Volume Layout, viewed from the top down, displays
a Perforce _application_ administrator's view of the system, which shows how to
navigate the directory structure to find databases, log files, and versioned files in
the depots. Viewed from the bottom up, it displays a Perforce _system_ administrator's
view, emphasizing the physical volume where Perforce data is stored.
==== Memory and CPU
Make sure the server has enough memory to cache the *db.rev* database file and to prevent the server from paging during user queries. Maximum performance is obtained if the server has enough memory to keep all of the database files in memory.
*Below are some approximate guidelines for* allocating memory.
* 1.5 kilobyte of RAM per file stored in the server.
* 32 MB of RAM per user.
Use the fastest processors available with the fastest available bus speed. Faster processors are typically more desirable than a greater number of cores and provide better performance since quick bursts of computational speed are more important to Perforce's performance than the number of processors. Have a minimum of two processors so that the offline checkpoint and back up processes do not interfere with your Perforce server. There are log analysis options to diagnose underperforming servers and improve things (contact support/consulting for details).
==== Directory Structure Configuration Script for Linux/Unix
This script describes the steps performed by the mkdirs.sh script on Linux/Unix platforms. Please review this appendix carefully before running these steps manually. Assuming the three-volume configuration described in the Volume Layout and Hardware section are used, the following directories are created. The following examples are illustrated with "1" as the server instance number.
[cols=",",options="header",]
|===
|_Directory_ |_Remarks_
|`/p4` |Must be under root (`/`) on the OS volume
|`/hxdepots/p4/1/bin` |Files in here are generated by the mkdirs.sh script.
|`/hxdepots/p4/1/depots` |
|`/hxdepots/p4/1/tmp` |
|`/hxdepots/p4/common/config` |Contains p4_<instance>.vars file, e.g. `p4_1.vars`
|`/hxdepots/p4/common/bin` |Files from `$SDP/Server/Unix/p4/common/bin`.
|`/hxdepots/p4/common/etc` |Contains `init.d` and `cron.d`.
|`/hxlogs/p4/1/logs/old` |
|`/hxmetadata2/p4/1/db2` |Contains offline copy of main server databases (linked by `/p4/1/offline_db`.
|`/hxmetadata1/p4/1/db1/save` |Used only during running of `recreate_db_checkpoint.sh` for extra redundancy.
|===
Next, `mkdirs.sh` creates the following symlinks in the `/hxdepots/p4/1` directory:
[cols=",,",options="header",]
|===
|*_Link source_* |*_Link target_* |*_Command_*
|`/hxmetadata1/p4/1/db1` |`/p4/1/root` |`ln -s /hxmetadata1/p4/1/root`
|`/hxmetadata2/p4/1/db2` |`/p4/1/offline_db` |`ln -s /hxmetadata1/p4/1/offline_db`
|`/hxlogs/p4/1/logs` |`/p4/1/logs` |`ln -s /hxlogs/p4/1/logs`
|===
Then these symlinks are created in the /p4 directory:
[cols=",,",options="header",]
|===
|*_Link source_* |*_Link target_* |*_Command_*
|`/hxdepots/p4/1` |`/p4/1` |`ln -s /hxdepots/p4/1 /p4/1`
|`/hxdepots/p4/common` |`/p4/common` |`ln -s /hxdepots/p4/common /p4/common`
|===
Next, mkdirs.sh renames the Perforce binaries to include version and build number, and then creates appropriate symlinks.
The structure is shown in this example, illustrating values for two instances, with instance #1 using p4d release 2018.1 and instance #2 using release 2018.2.
In /p4/1/bin:
p4_1 -> /p4/common/bin/p4_1_bin
p4d_1 -> /p4/common/bin/p4d_1_bin
In /p4/2/bin:
p4_2 -> /p4/common/bin/p4_2
p4d_2 -> /p4/common/bin/p4d_2
In `/p4/common/bin`:
p4_1_bin -> p4_2018.1_bin
p4_2018.1_bin -> p4_2018.1.685046
p4_2018.1.685046
p4_2_bin -> p4_2018.2_bin
p4_2018.2_bin -> p4_2018.2.700949
p4_2018.2.700949
p4d_1_bin -> p4d_2018.1_bin
p4d_2018.1_bin -> p4d_2018.1.685046
p4d_2018.1.685046
p4d_2_bin -> p4d_2018.2_bin
p4d_2018.2_bin -> p4d_2018.2.700949
p4d_2018.2.700949
TIP: Although this link structure may appear quite complex, it is easy to understand, and it allows different instances on the
same server host to be running with different patch levels, or indeed different releases. And you can upgrade those instances independently of each other which can be very useful.
==== Case Insensitive P4D on Unix
By default `p4d` is case sensitive on Unix for filenames and directory names etc.
It is possible and quite common to run your server in case insensitive mode. This is often done when Windows is the main operating system in use on the client host machines.
IMPORTANT: In "case insensitive" mode, that means that you should ALWAYS execute `p4d` with the flag `-C1` (or you risk possible table corruption in some circumstances).
The SDP achieves this by executing a simple Bash script:
#!/bin/bash
P4D=/p4/common/bin/p4d_${SDP_INSTANCE}_bin
# shellcheck disable=SC2016
exec $P4D -C1 "$@"
So the above will ensure that `/p4/common/bin/p4d_1_bin` (for instance `1`) is executed with the `-C1` flag.
As noted above, for case sensitive servers, `p4d_1` is normally just a link:
/p4/1/bin/p4d_1 -> /p4/common/bin/p4d_1_bin
[appendix]
== Frequently Asked Questions/Troubleshooting
This appendix lists common questions and problems encountered by SDP users. Do not hesitate to contact consulting@perforce.com if additional assistance is required.
=== Journal out of sequence
This error is encountered when the offline and live databases are no longer in sync, and will cause the offline checkpoint process to fail. Because the scripts will replay all outstanding journals, this error is much less likely to occur. This error can be fixed by running the <<_live_checkpoint_sh>> script. Alternatively, if you know that the checkpoints created from previous runs of <<_daily_checkpoint_sh>> are correct, then restore the `offline_db` from the last known good checkpoint.
=== Unexpected end of file in replica daily sync
Check the start time and duration of the <<_daily_checkpoint_sh>> cron job on the master. If this overlaps with the start time of the <<_sync_replica_sh>> cron job on a replica, a truncated checkpoint may be rsync'd to the replica and replaying this will result in an error.
Adjust the replica's cronjob to start later to resolve this.
Default cron job times, as installed by the SDP are initial estimates, and should be adjusted to suit your production environment.
| # | Change | User | Description | Committed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #104 | 29923 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated HTML hyperlinks to use 'portal.perforce.com'. This replaces currently broken links to 'answers.perforce.com' and currently redirected links to 'community.perforce.com'. #review-29924 |
||
| #103 | 29914 | Robert Cowham | Remove link to Helix Installer until we refactor that to avoid support errors. | ||
| #102 | 29844 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Added sdp_health_check to SDP package. Updated docs in Guide and Release Notes to reflect this change. Added more docs for this in the SDP Guide. #review-29845 @vkanczes |
||
| #101 | 29824 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Added comment that P4SERVICEPASS is not used; it remains in place for backward compatibility. Added FAQ: How do I change super user password? Added FAQ: Can I remove the perforce user? Added FAQ: Can I clone a VM to create a standby replica? #review-29825 |
||
| #100 | 29727 | Robert Cowham | Note the need for an extra p4 trust statement for $HOSTNAME | ||
| #99 | 29719 | Robert Cowham |
Fix journal numbering example. Add section to make replication errors visible. |
||
| #98 | 29715 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Doc correction. The sample command correctly indicates that `/home/perforce` should be the home directory, but the text still says should be `/p4`, the legacy location. Also added a note advising against user of automounted home dirs. #review-29716 |
||
| #97 | 29695 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Adjusted curl commands, adding '-L' to support URL redirects. Removed '-k' from curl commands referencing Perforce sites. |
||
| #96 | 29693 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Adjusted /hxserverlocks recommendations: * Changed filesystem name from 'tmpfs' to 'HxServerLocks' in /etc/fstab. * Changed mount permissions from '0755' to '0700' to prevent data leaks. * Changed mounted filesystem size recommendations. * Updated info about size of files being 17 or 0 bytes depending on p4d version. * Indicated change should be done in a maintenance window (as /etc/fstab is modified). Also updated limited sudoers to include entries for running setcap and getcap. #review-29694 @robert_cowham |
||
| #95 | 29608 | C. Thomas Tyler | Doc updates as part of release cycle. | ||
| #94 | 29567 | Andy Boutte | Adding option to delivery log and alerts via PagerDuty | ||
| #93 | 29563 | Andy Boutte | Adding optional local config directories for both instance and SDP wide configuration. | ||
| #92 | 29483 | Robert Cowham | Clarify case-insensitive servers | ||
| #91 | 29475 | Robert Cowham | For SELinux note the yum package to install for basics | ||
| #90 | 29370 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixed a single typo. | ||
| #89 | 29311 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Per Thomas Albert, adjusted title on doc page: From: Perforce Helix Server Deployment Package (for UNIX/Linux) To: Perforce Helix Core Server Deployment Package (for UNIX/Linux) #review-29312 @thomas_albert |
||
| #88 | 29239 | C. Thomas Tyler | Updated 'sudoers' documentation. | ||
| #87 | 29238 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixing two harmless typos. | ||
| #86 | 29236 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated all doc rev numbers for supported and unsupported docs to 2022.2 as prep for SDP 2022.2 release. |
||
| #85 | 29137 | C. Thomas Tyler | Added docs for proxy_rotate.sh, and updated docs for broker_rotate.sh. | ||
| #84 | 29096 | Robert Cowham | Add a section on installing Swarm triggers | ||
| #83 | 29055 | Robert Cowham | Update troubleshooting to check ckp_running.txt semaphore | ||
| #82 | 29044 | Robert Cowham | Update to include troubleshooting 'p4 pull -ls' errors | ||
| #81 | 29019 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Clarified to indicate RHEL 8 is fine; only CentOS 8 is discouraged. When changes were made to indicate CentOS 8 was discouraged (due to being made upstream of RHEL, and thus a dev/test sandbox for RHEL (like Fedora) rather than a solid downstream distro suitable for production, use, the text inadvertaintly gavem the impression that RHEL 8 was not supported. |
||
| #80 | 29002 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Doc correction; tip refers to 'wget' in a sample command that uses curl instead. |
||
| #79 | 28986 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Clarified text related to mandatory vs. nomandatory standby replicas. |
||
| #78 | 28980 | Robert Cowham | Note how to configure Swarm to use postfix | ||
| #77 | 28926 | Robert Cowham | Added check for Swarm JIRA project access. | ||
| #76 | 28837 | C. Thomas Tyler | Updated docs for r22.1 release. | ||
| #75 | 28771 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Changed email address for Perforce Support. #review-28772 @amo @robert_cowham |
||
| #74 | 28767 | C. Thomas Tyler |
SDP Guide Doc Updates: * Fixed typos. * Enhanced mandatory/nomandatory description. * Added detail to instructions on using the `perforce-p4python` packcage, and change reference from Swarm docs to the more general Perforce Packages page. * Refactored FAQ, Troubleshooting Guide, and Sample Procedures appendices for greater clarity. * Added Appendix on Brokers in Stack Topology #review-28768 |
||
| #73 | 28716 | Andy Boutte | Correcting path to p4d_<instance> | ||
| #72 | 28686 | Robert Cowham | Clarify FAQ for replication errors | ||
| #71 | 28667 | Robert Cowham |
Add a note re monitoring. Add some FAQ appendix questions. |
||
| #70 | 28649 | Andy Boutte |
Documenting alert notifications via AWS SNS #review https://jira.perforce.com:8443/browse/CLD-14 |
||
| #69 | 28618 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixed missing command re: .ssh directory generation. | ||
| #68 | 28606 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Added SDP Health Checks appendix to UNIX/Linux SDP Guide. Also removed some references to '-k' (insecure) in curl statements. #review-28607 @d_benedict |
||
| #67 | 28605 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Fixed cosmetic/rendering issue; added a blank line in *.adoc so a bulleted list displays correctly. |
||
| #66 | 28604 | Robert Cowham | Added notes for Python/P4Python and CheckCaseTrigger installation | ||
| #65 | 28534 | lbarbier | Enhancements to SDP Guide/Unix for adoc version following job 736. | ||
| #64 | 28503 | Robert Cowham | Add SELinux tip | ||
| #63 | 28496 | Robert Cowham | Fix typo in journalctl | ||
| #62 | 28493 | Robert Cowham |
Added notes to get systemd SDP scripts working under SELinux Thanks to Rich Alloway! |
||
| #61 | 28487 | Robert Cowham |
Document Swarm/JIRA cloud link process. Also Postfix clarification. |
||
| #60 | 28374 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated :revnumber: and :revdate: fields for *.adoc files for release. |
||
| #59 | 28351 | Robert Cowham | Tweaked sdp upgrades docs. | ||
| #58 | 28261 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixed on-character doc typo (curk -> curl). | ||
| #57 | 28246 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Enahnced the 'Upgrading the SDP' section of the SDP Guide: * Added sample command to deal with possibly existing tarball. * Added tips to enable less technical users to get past basic snags. * Added detail on how to find your /hxdepots directory if not default. |
||
| #56 | 28230 | C. Thomas Tyler | Minor doc corrections. | ||
| #55 | 28225 | C. Thomas Tyler | Enhanced info on upgrading the SDP. | ||
| #54 | 28222 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixed broken link/ref. | ||
| #53 | 28197 | C. Thomas Tyler | Partially functional version of sdp_upgrade.sh, with doc updates. | ||
| #52 | 28195 | C. Thomas Tyler | Refined location of SiteTags.cfg.sample file. | ||
| #51 | 28193 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Renamed sample files (e.g. SiteTags.cfg) in SDP tarball tree, appending a .sample tag, to make rsync overlay of /p4/common/config safe. Updated related docs in mkrep.sh referring to the sample file, to improve an error message to guide the user to find the sample file. #review-28194 |
||
| #50 | 28180 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Fixed oversight in documentation, describing how to check the SDP Version file. |
||
| #49 | 28162 | C. Thomas Tyler | Typo/line add. | ||
| #48 | 28158 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Made former '-n' preview mode the default behavior. Added new '-y' flag to execute a real upgrade. Added a message in preview mode to clarify that no actual upgrade is performed. Removed the '-n' preview option, as preview mode is now the default behavior. #review-28159 |
||
| #47 | 28154 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Added new Sample Procedures section. Added Sample Procedure: Reseeding an Edge Server Corrected teriminology re: 'instance' and 'process' and 'server' to be inline with other documentation and common usage. Other minor fixes. #review-28155 |
||
| #46 | 28104 | C. Thomas Tyler | Fixed typo. | ||
| #45 | 28102 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Clarified "breathing" comment (as in "breathing room") with more clear and more translatable language. #review-28103 @thomas_albert |
||
| #44 | 28100 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated SDP Guide for UNIX/Linux: * Filled in missing information re: new upgrades. * Expanded on definition of vague "Exceptionally large" term. Generating HTML for easy review; holding off on PDF as it will be generated during the release. #review-28101 @roadkills_r_us |
||
| #43 | 28071 | Robert Cowham | Clarify some notes re setting up Gmail | ||
| #42 | 27978 | Robert Cowham |
Clarifications and warnings around load_checkpoint.sh Mention recreate_offline_db.sh a little more prominently Recommend installing postfix for mail. |
||
| #41 | 27890 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated Release Notes and SDP Guide to clarify SDP r20.1 supports Helix Core binaries up to r21.1, in advance of the coming SDP r21.1 release that will make it more obvious. In get_helix_binaries.sh: * Changed default Helix Core binary version to r21.1. * Changed examples of getting a different version to reference r20.2. #review-27891 @amo |
||
| #40 | 27875 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Changes to SDP Guide: * Changed location of home dir for `perforce` OSUSER for manual installations to be the same as it is for Helix Installer installations, changing from '/p4' to '/home/perforce'. The /home/perforce is preferred for several reasons: - To work with common SSHD configs that require home directories to be under /home. - To keep /p4 clean, used only for SDP things, and not have user files like ~/.vimrc, ~/.Xauthority, Desktop, ~/.ssh, ~/.bashrc, ~/.p4enviro, ~/.p4tickets, ~/.p4config, etc. (The original decision to use '/p4' was made in 2007, long before any ~/.p4* files existed). - To have a separate home directory, which has many benefits including simplifying operational procedures that rely on having a separate home directory available. - That said, having the home directory in /p4 was the standard for a long while, and isn't really broken despite no longer being preferred. * Replaced high-byte quotes with low-byte quotes in several places. * Corrected case of Max* settings (e.g. maxresults -> MaxResults) to match how they appear in the group spec. * Fixed a few typos (one in doc, one in a suggested crontab). |
||
| #39 | 27779 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Fixed typo found by a customer. Thanks! |
||
| #38 | 27764 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated Version to release SDP 2020.1.27763. Re-generated docs. |
||
| #37 | 27722 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Refinements to @27712: * Resolved one out-of-date file (verify_sdp.sh). * Added missing adoc file for which HTML file had a change (WorkflowEnforcementTriggers.adoc). * Updated revdate/revnumber in *.adoc files. * Additional content updates in Server/Unix/p4/common/etc/cron.d/ReadMe.md. * Bumped version numbers on scripts with Version= def'n. * Generated HTML, PDF, and doc/gen files: - Most HTML and all PDF are generated using Makefiles that call an AsciiDoc utility. - HTML for Perl scripts is generated with pod2html. - doc/gen/*.man.txt files are generated with .../tools/gen_script_man_pages.sh. #review-27712 |
||
| #36 | 27710 | Robert Cowham | Another tweak to tmpfs settings | ||
| #35 | 27709 | Robert Cowham |
Note check for serverlocks. Fix typo in path in failover. |
||
| #34 | 27643 | 7ecapilot | Doc errors and corrections | ||
| #33 | 27536 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Legacy Upgrade Guide doc updates: * Added 'Put New SDP in Place' section. * Added 'Set SDP Counters' section to set SDP_VERSION and SDP_DATE counters. * Covered updating depot spec Map fields. * Covered adding server.id files. * Added missing content on putting new SDP directory in place. SDP_Guide.Unix doc updates: * Added Legacy Upgrade Scripts section w/clear_depot_Map_fields.sh. Updated Makefile with new doc build dependencies. Regenerated docs. |
||
| #32 | 27518 | C. Thomas Tyler | Merged Robert's SDP Guide changes in review 27490 with my latest edits. | ||
| #31 | 27505 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Enhanced doc for Systemd/SysV services management and configuration docs, separating basic configuration for start/stop/status from enabling for start on boot (with Systemd/SysV variations for each). Added doc coverage for using systemd to enable multiple broker configs. Added doc coverage for applying limited sudo. Spell check. |
||
| #30 | 27321 | C. Thomas Tyler |
General reivew completed. Removed links that downloaded scripts than referenced doc content in HTML form. A future SDP release may change restore links of a different kind. |
||
| #29 | 27250 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Adjusted JournalPrefix standard to account for shared /hxdepots. The JournalPrefix standard now allows for unfiltered replicas (such as HA/DR replicas) to use same journalPrefix value as filtered replicas and edge servers, using per-ServerID checkpoints folder, if they share the same /hxdepots (e.g. NFS-mounted) with the master (e.g. when lbr.replication=shared). Related code change made to mkdirs.sh and mkrep.sh to support the tweaks to the standard. #review-27251 |
||
| #28 | 27156 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Consolidated SDP Standards into the SDP Guide for UNIX/Linux. Added references to those sections in the Windows SDP Guide. Normalized doc titles. Various other doc update. |
||
| #27 | 27096 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Refactored SDP Legacy Upgrade content into a separate doc. The SDP Guide will be remain comprehensive and cover how to upgrade the SDP itself forwardm from the current version (2020.1) using the new, p4d-like incremental upgrade mechanism. The content for manual upgrade procedures needed to get older SDP installations to 2020.1 is only useful until sites are on 2020.1. This content is extensive, narrowly focused, and of value only once per installation, and thus the legacy upgrade content is separated into its own document. Regenerated work-in-progress HTML files for easier review. |
||
| #26 | 27059 | Robert Cowham | Update section link to mention Section 8 | ||
| #25 | 27058 | Robert Cowham |
Added direct links to the various scripts where they are explained. Tweak some wording in SDP upgrade section |
||
| #24 | 27055 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Pulled the SDP Upgrade Guide for Linux into the main SDP Guide, and deleted the separate upgrade doc. Also other minor refinements. Pulled in updated mkrep.sh v2.5.0 docs. This version is still in progress. Search for EDITME to find areas requiring addtional content. |
||
| #23 | 27041 | Robert Cowham |
Windows Guide directly includes chunks of the Unix guide for replication etc, with a little ifdef to avoid Unix only comments. Fix Makefile and add missing generated man page. |
||
| #22 | 27039 | Robert Cowham | Minor tweaks for ease of use - docs not generated. | ||
| #21 | 27033 | C. Thomas Tyler | Work in progress updates to SDP_Guilde.Unix. | ||
| #20 | 27021 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Re-ordered so `systemd` info comes first (as it is more likely to be relevant), and older SysV docs deferred. Various other tweaks. |
||
| #19 | 27013 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Updated adoc includes to reference generated manual pages in 'gen'. The 'gen' subdirectory contains man pages generated from scripts gen_script_man_pages.sh. Made various other minor doc tweaks. |
||
| #18 | 26992 | Robert Cowham | Document SiteTags.cfg file | ||
| #17 | 26981 | C. Thomas Tyler |
Added Appendix on starting and stopping the server. #review @d_benedict |
||
| #16 | 26851 | Robert Cowham |
Fix typo in tmpfs /etc/fstab entry which stopped it working in the doc. Mention in pre-requisites for failover and failover guide the need to review OS Config for your failover server. Document Ubuntu 2020.04 LTS and CentOS/RHEL 8 support. Note performance has been observed to be better with CentOS. Document pull.sh and submit.sh in main SDP guide (remove from Unsupported doc). Update comments in triggers to reflect that they are reference implementations, not just examples. No code change. |
||
| #15 | 26780 | Robert Cowham | Complete rename of P4DNSNAME -> P4MASTERHOST | ||
| #14 | 26755 | Robert Cowham | Include p4verify.sh man page in SDP Guide automatically for usage section. | ||
| #13 | 26748 | Robert Cowham |
Add recommended performance tweaks: - THP off - server.locks directory into RAM |
||
| #12 | 26747 | Robert Cowham |
Update with some checklists for failover to ensure valid. Update to v2020.1 Add Usage sections where missing to Unix guide Refactor the content in Unix guide to avoid repetition and make things read more sensibly. |
||
| #11 | 26727 | Robert Cowham |
Add section on server host naming conventions Clarify HA and DR, and update links across docs Fix doc structure for Appendix numbering |
||
| #10 | 26674 | C. Thomas Tyler | Removed reference to deleted file. | ||
| #9 | 26661 | Robert Cowham |
Tidying up cross references. Added missing sync_replica.sh docs. |
||
| #8 | 26656 | Robert Cowham | Fix typo | ||
| #7 | 26654 | Robert Cowham |
First draft of new Failover Guide using "p4 failover" Linked from SDP Unix Guide |
||
| #6 | 26649 | Robert Cowham |
More SDP Doc tidy up. Removed some command summary files. |
||
| #5 | 26644 | Robert Cowham |
SDP Doc Update to address jobs. Mainly documents scripts which lacked any mention. |
||
| #4 | 26637 | Robert Cowham |
Include script help within doc Requires a couple of tags in the scripts themselves. |
||
| #3 | 26631 | Robert Cowham | New AsciiDoc version of Windows SDP guide | ||
| #2 | 26628 | Robert Cowham | Basically have things working for AsciiDoc | ||
| #1 | 26627 | Robert Cowham | First version of AsciiDoc with associated PDF |