[pgpool-hackers: 607] pgpool-II 3.4 alpha1

[Tatsuo Ishii]

Hi pgpool-II hackers,

We are going to release pgpool-II 3.4 alpha1 tomorrow October
10th. Here is the release note for it. Please let me know if there's
any mistake, missing items and wrong wording as English.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------                                Release Notes

===============================================================================

                        3.4.0 (tataraboshi) 2014/10/XX

* Version 3.4.0

      This is the first version of pgpool-II 3.4 series.
      That is, a "major version up" from 3.3 series.

      __________________________________________________________________

* Incompatible changes

    - Parallel query mode is obsoleted and is removed from
      pgpool.conf. This is due to the very few users using the mode
      (and the relatively high cost to maintain it).  Actual codes for
      the mode are still there and users can use the mode if they
      specify necessary parameters in pgpool.conf. Note, however, the
      next version of pgpool-II (will be 3.5.0) will actually remove
      the code.

    - "print_timestamp" parameter is removed. Instead new
      "log_line_prefix" should be used.

    - Recovery script now accepts 4 parameters, rather than 3 (the 4th
      parameter is the port number of master PostgreSQL). Existing
      3-parameter-style recovery scripts can be used if you don't care
      about information provided by the 4th parameter.
      __________________________________________________________________

* New features

    - Allow fine control of load balancing by using application name
      or database name. For example, if a client has particular
      application name, read queries can be redirect to master node,
      rather than to one of slave nodes (Tatsuo)

    - Allow to print pgpool-II process names in the log output. New
      parameter "log_line_prefix", which is the printf-style string
      that is output at the beginning of each log line (Usama)

    - Allow to control log verbosity like PostgreSQL. For this purpose
      new parameters "log_error_verbosity", "client_min_messages",
      "log_min_messages" are added (Usama)

    - Allow to use SQL comments without disturbing load balancing if
      new parameter "allow_sql_comments" is on. If it's off, previous
      behavior is kept (Tatsuo)

    - Allow to skip unlogged tables checking by using new parameter
      "check_unlogged_table". This reduces the number of pgpool-II's
      internal catalog look up queries and enhances performance
      (Tatsuo)

    - Prevent listen backlog overflow by using new parameter
      "listen_backlog_multiplier" for very busy systems (Tatsuo)

    - Prevent connection timeout to backend by using new parameter
      "connect_timeout". This is useful in unstable networks
      (Tatsuo)
      __________________________________________________________________

* Enhancements

    - Builtin SQL parser is now compatible with PostgreSQL 9.4 (Usama)

    - Import PostgreSQL's memory manager and exception manager (Usama)

    - Reorganize source code tree (Usama)

    - The status file "pgpool_status" is now a plain ASCII file. This
      allows to register down PostgreSQL nodes before pgpool-II
      starts for example (Tatsuo)

    - Allow to use IPv6 address for PostgreSQ (Michael Stapelberg)

    - Allow to use IPv6 bind address for pgpool-II (Michael Stapelberg)

    - Rename all occurrence of "on memory query cache" to "in memory
      query cache" because latter is more correct in English (Tatsuo)

    - Add 4th paramter "master node port number" to recovery script
      (Tatsuo)

    - Allow to handle more than 3 database nodes in pgpool_setup
      (Tatsuo)
      __________________________________________________________________

* Bug fixes (since 3.3.4)

    - As per the PostgreSQL specification, calling close on non
      existing portals is not an error. So on the same footings this
      commit ignores all such packets and return the 'close complete'
      message to client with out going to backend (Usama)

    - Fix many issues/bugs found by Coverity (Usama, Tatsuo)