The MySQL server is a multithreaded application that uses numerous internal locking and lock-related primitives, such as mutexes, rwlocks (including prlocks and sxlocks), conditions, and files. Within the server, the set of lock-related objects changes with implementation of new features and code refactoring for performance improvements. As with any multithreaded application that uses locking primitives, there is always a risk of encountering a deadlock during execution when multiple locks are held at once. For MySQL, the effect of a deadlock is catastrophic, causing a complete loss of service.
As of MySQL 8.0.17, to enable detection of lock-acquisition
deadlocks and enforcement that runtime execution is free of them,
MySQL supports LOCK_ORDER
tooling. This enables
a lock-order dependency graph to be defined as part of server
design, and server runtime checking to ensure that lock
acquisition is acyclic and that execution paths comply with the
graph.
This section provides information about using the
LOCK_ORDER
tool, but only at a basic level. For
complete details, see the Lock Order section of the MySQL Server
Doxygen documentation, available at
https://dev.mysql.com/doc/index-other.html.
The LOCK_ORDER
tool is intended for debugging
the server, not for production use.
To use the LOCK_ORDER
tool, follow this
procedure:
Build MySQL from source, configuring it with the
-DWITH_LOCK_ORDER=ON
CMake option so that the build includesLOCK_ORDER
tooling.NoteWith the
WITH_LOCK_ORDER
option enabled, MySQL builds require the flex program.To run the server with the
LOCK_ORDER
tool enabled, enable thelock_order
system variable at server startup. Several other system variables forLOCK_ORDER
configuration are available as well.For MySQL test suite operation, mysql-test-run.pl has a
--lock-order
option that controls whether to enable theLOCK_ORDER
tool during test case execution.
The system variables described following configure operation of
the LOCK_ORDER
tool, assuming that MySQL has
been built to include LOCK_ORDER
tooling. The
primary variable is lock_order
,
which indicates whether to enable the
LOCK_ORDER
tool at runtime:
If
lock_order
is disabled (the default), no otherLOCK_ORDER
system variables have any effect.If
lock_order
is enabled, the other system variables configure whichLOCK_ORDER
features to enable.
In general, it is intended that the
LOCK_ORDER
tool be configured by executing
mysql-test-run.pl with the
--lock-order
option, and for
mysql-test-run.pl to set
LOCK_ORDER
system variables to appropriate
values.
All LOCK_ORDER
system variables must be set at
server startup. At runtime, their values are visible but cannot be
changed.
Some system variables exist in pairs, such as
lock_order_debug_loop
and
lock_order_trace_loop
. For such
pairs, the variables are distinguished as follows when the
condition occurs with which they are associated:
If the
_debug_
variable is enabled, a debug assertion is raised.If the
_trace_
variable is enabled, an error is printed to the logs.
Table 7.8 LOCK_ORDER System Variable Summary
Variable Name | Variable Type | Variable Scope |
---|---|---|
lock_order | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_debug_loop | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_debug_missing_arc | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_debug_missing_key | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_debug_missing_unlock | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_dependencies | File name | Global |
lock_order_extra_dependencies | File name | Global |
lock_order_output_directory | Directory name | Global |
lock_order_print_txt | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_trace_loop | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_trace_missing_arc | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_trace_missing_key | Boolean | Global |
lock_order_trace_missing_unlock | Boolean | Global |
-
Command-Line Format --lock-order[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether to enable the
LOCK_ORDER
tool at runtime. Iflock_order
is disabled (the default), no otherLOCK_ORDER
system variables have any effect. Iflock_order
is enabled, the other system variables configure whichLOCK_ORDER
features to enable.If
lock_order
is enabled, an error is raised if the server encounters a lock-acquisition sequence that is not declared in the lock-order graph. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-debug-loop[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_debug_loop
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool causes a debug assertion failure when it encounters a dependency that is flagged as a loop in the lock-order graph. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-debug-missing-arc[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_debug_missing_arc
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool causes a debug assertion failure when it encounters a dependency that is not declared in the lock-order graph. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-debug-missing-key[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_debug_missing_key
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool causes a debug assertion failure when it encounters an object that is not properly instrumented with the Performance Schema. lock_order_debug_missing_unlock
Command-Line Format --lock-order-debug-missing-unlock[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_debug_missing_unlock
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool causes a debug assertion failure when it encounters a lock that is destroyed while still held.-
Command-Line Format --lock-order-dependencies=file_name
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_dependencies
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type File name Default Value empty string
The path to the
lock_order_dependencies.txt
file that defines the server lock-order dependency graph.It is permitted to specify no dependencies. An empty dependency graph is used in this case.
-
Command-Line Format --lock-order-extra-dependencies=file_name
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_extra_dependencies
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type File name Default Value empty string
The path to a file containing additional dependencies for the lock-order dependency graph. This is useful to amend the primary server dependency graph, defined in the
lock_order_dependencies.txt
file, with additional dependencies describing the behavior of third party code. (The alternative is to modifylock_order_dependencies.txt
itself, which is not encouraged.)If this variable is not set, no secondary file is used.
-
Command-Line Format --lock-order-output-directory=dir_name
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_output_directory
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Directory name Default Value empty string
The directory where the
LOCK_ORDER
tool writes its logs. If this variable is not set, the default is the current directory. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-print-txt[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_print_txt
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool performs a lock-order graph analysis and prints a textual report. The report includes any lock-acquisition cycles detected. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-trace-loop[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_trace_loop
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool prints a trace in the log file when it encounters a dependency that is flagged as a loop in the lock-order graph. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-trace-missing-arc[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_trace_missing_arc
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value ON
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool prints a trace in the log file when it encounters a dependency that is not declared in the lock-order graph. -
Command-Line Format --lock-order-trace-missing-key[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_trace_missing_key
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value OFF
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool prints a trace in the log file when it encounters an object that is not properly instrumented with the Performance Schema. lock_order_trace_missing_unlock
Command-Line Format --lock-order-trace-missing-unlock[={OFF|ON}]
Introduced 8.0.17 System Variable lock_order_trace_missing_unlock
Scope Global Dynamic No SET_VAR
Hint AppliesNo Type Boolean Default Value ON
Whether the
LOCK_ORDER
tool prints a trace in the log file when it encounters a lock that is destroyed while still held.