Changes/PostgreSQL 13

PostgreSQL 13

Summary

Update of PostgreSQL (postgresql and libpq components) in Fedora from version 12 to version 13 in the non-modular (main) builds.

Also, there will be a design change in postgresql modular packaging regarding the external libpq library ensuring future build time compatibility. More information in the Detailed Description section.

Owner

• Name: Patrik Novotny
• Email: panovotn@redhat.com

Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora 34
• Last updated: 2021-02-10
• FESCo issue: #2557
• Tracker bug: #1922349
• Release notes tracker: #655

Detailed Description

Update of PostgreSQL (postgresql and libpq components) in Fedora from version 12 to version 13 in the non-modular (main) builds.

This also involves updating and rebuilding the PostgreSQL plugins that depend on postgresql server.

There will also be a change to the packaging of postgresql modules, as with those, the external libpq library can be potentially problematic upon upstream releases.

As postgresql packages are built against the separated libpq package, an incompatibility between major versions can occur with new minor upstream releases. For example, when building postgresql version 12.4 against libpq version 13.1.

To keep the benefits of having separately maintained libpq library, libpq stays as a separate package.

However, to solve the potential issues with the postgresql builds, we will bundle libpq with a downstream changed SONAME within each postgresql release. The postgresql will be built against this libpq.

This bundled libpq will always be the same version as the corresponding postgresql as they will share the same codebase. As the libpq SONAME will be changed downstream to a non-standard SONAME, and separate libpq package with standard SONAME will be provided, this change won't affect the user experience for those components.

Plan

• Prepare Libpq 13, PostgreSQL 13 (both rawhide and module) and PostgreSQL 12 module
• Rebuild dependencies in Copr
  • By 2021-01-15

• Debug and fix compatibility issues found in dependencies (reasonable amount of non-critical in FTBFS state might be tolerable)
  • By 2021-01-22

• Prepare builds in a side-tag
• Merge side-tag into Rawhide
  • By 2021-02-05

Benefit to Fedora

Latest stable software is used by Fedora users.

Scope

• Proposal owners:
  • Prepare PostgreSQL 13 as a module for Rawhide and at least one stable Fedora release (including the design change and symbol versioning fix)
  • Prepare PostgreSQL 12 as a module for Rawhide
  • Check software that requires or depends on postgresql-server or libpq packages for incompatibilities
  • Build PostgreSQL 13 (postgresql and libpq) to Rawhide in a side-tag (https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Package_update_HOWTO#Creating_a_side-tag)
  • Rebuild depended packages against PostgreSQL 13 in the side-tag (see Dependencies)
  • Merge the side-tag to Rawhide
  • Gather user input on the changes between PostgreSQL 12 and PostgreSQL 13

• Other developers: N/A (not a System Wide Change)

• Release engineering: #Releng issue number (a check of an impact with Release Engineering is needed)

• Policies and guidelines: N/A (not a System Wide Change)

• Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)

Upgrade/compatibility impact

The PostgreSQL client library (libpq component) is compatible, but there is an issue with symbol versioning (originally reported https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1893324 was reverted, but there is a plan to fix this properly together with this PostgreSQL update tracked in https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1908268). So, there shouldn't be any issues with API compatibility, but rebuild of the depended components is necessary.

Server plugins might require a newer version update, because they sometimes have explicit server requirements. PostgreSQL maintainer will help fixing/rebuilding any issues in the plugins.

How To Test

Usual testing as when upgrading between major PostgreSQL versions, running postgresql-setup --upgrade is necessary between major versions.

Test that all other software runs well with PostgreSQL 13.

User Experience

The users will have to upgrade their databases the same way as between major PostgreSQL versions, aka postgresql-setup --upgrade after installing PostgreSQL 13 server packages.

If users want to stick with PostgreSQL 12 for a little longer, there will be PostgreSQL 12 module

Dependencies

There are some packages (mostly server plugins), that build on top of PostgreSQL. Since the separation of PostgreSQL client library (libpq component), only packages that build server plugins should use postgresql package in BuildRequires, others should use libpq. In both the cases, rebuild should be done to make sure all potential binary incompatibilities are handled.

• Critical dependecies - components with higher importance, will be prioritised during the rebase
  • apr-util
  • bacula
  • bind
  • cyrus-imapd
  • cyrus-sasl
  • dovecot
  • freeradius
  • gdal
  • libecpg
  • nagios-plugins
  • opendbx
  • perl-DBD-Pg
  • php
  • pgaudit
  • postfix
  • qt
  • qt3
  • qt5-qtbase
  • redland
  • rsyslog
  • rubygem-pg
  • postgres-decoderbufs

The rest of the dependencies is not considered critical. Though, those will need to be rebuild as well.

• libpq
  • EMBOSS
  • Io-language
  • PDAL
  • PyGreSQL
  • asterisk
  • biboumi
  • clisp
  • collectd
  • dpsearch
  • exim
  • flow-tools
  • freight-tools
  • gambas3
  • gammu
  • gawk-pgsql
  • gearmand
  • gnatcoll-db
  • gnokii
  • grass
  • hydra
  • jabberd
  • kdb
  • kea
  • libdbi-drivers
  • libgda
  • libnss-pgsql
  • libpqxx
  • libpreludedb
  • libzdb
  • lua-dbi
  • lua-sql
  • mapnik
  • mapserver
  • medusa
  • minetestmapper
  • ocaml-postgresql
  • opensips
  • openvas-manager
  • osm2pgsql
  • pdns
  • perl-pgsql_perl5
  • pg_top
  • pgadmin3
  • pgcenter
  • pgmodeler
  • php-pecl-pq
  • player
  • postgis
  • postgresql
  • postgresql-pgpool-II
  • proftpd
  • pspp
  • pure-ftpd
  • rdkit
  • rhdb-utils
  • root
  • saga
  • soci
  • spatialite-gui
  • sphinx
  • sysbench
  • tcl-pgtcl
  • unicornscan
  • virtualpg
  • vtk
  • zabbix

• postgresql-server
  • gambas3
  • kdb
  • kea
  • libpqxx
  • openvas-manager
  • orafce
  • pg-semver
  • pgRouting
  • pgadmin3
  • pgsphere
  • postgis
  • postgresql-ip4r
  • postgresql-pgpool-II
  • qt3
  • rdkit
  • rhdb-utils
  • timescaledb

Contingency Plan

Revert changes in the non-modular packages and provide PostgreSQL 13 as a module stream only.

Contingency plan deadline: Before Branch Fedora 34 from Rawhide (scheduled on Tue 2021-02-09)

Documentation

Upgrade startegy: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/13/upgrading.html

Release Notes

Release notes for PostgreSQL 13 release: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/13/index.html

Overall overview of the changes and improvements: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/13/release-13.html