Informix Architecture

(Informix on Campus Lecture Series)

September 13, 2010 © 2010 IBM Corporation

 Information Management – Informix

Agenda

Architecture overview

Process model

Memory model

Storage model

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Architecture Overview

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IDS Server components

 Process component
– One or more processes that
do the tasks requested by the
database server instance

 Shared memory component

– Shared memory segments
used to cache table data
from disk and maintain and
control resources needed by
processes

 Disk component
– Disk is a storage facility to
hold table data and system
information necessary to
maintain the server
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PROCESS MODEL

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Process based database server

 Each process receives a time-slice of CPU time, represented
by “CPU Usage Over Time”

Notice that the oninit

processes fall “in line”
between other
processes (p1, p2, p4,
p5…).

As more users connect,

the number of
processes increase and
the demand for
resources does as well.

* Informix database server processes are called oninit

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Process based database server cont…

 Process-based database servers are highly inefficient!

100

CPU
Usage

CPU being used

CPU idle, not

0 working on
process

Can waste 50% or more of CPU resources!!

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Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA)

1993 – Informix creates Dynamic Scalable

Architecture and IDS is born!
Multi-threaded from the core out
 Custom libraries, not Posix
– Resource efficient
– Not O/S dependent
• Easily ported

 Integrated parallelism
– Dynamic
– Scalable

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Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA) cont…

 Processes
– Each database server process (oninit) is known as a “virtual
processor” because it schedules and runs its own threads
– Virtual Processors (VPs) are divided into classes based on
functionality
• E.g. Writing to logical or physical log, reading data from disk,
performing administrative tasks

 Threads
– Services requests from client application (user threads)
• E.g. Select query issued by a client is serviced by an user thread
– Accomplish internal tasks like database I/O, logging I/O, page
cleaning, administrative functions (internal threads)
– A thread can run on any VP in its class
– To run a thread, VP retrieves thread’s data and environment
stack from ready queue and executes request

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Dynamic Scalable Architecture (DSA) cont…

Provides fan-in and fan-out parallelism
Fan-in Fan-out

Physical Physical Physical Physical

Processor Processor Processor Processor
1 2 3

Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual

Processor Processor Processor Processor
1 2 3

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DSA - Thread based database server

Each thread receives a

“chance” to run as a part
of the oninit process on
a physical processor.

As more users connect,

the number of processes
remains static as each
connection represents a
request to run a
“thread”, not a “process”

Notice the bottom axis shows “Virtual Processor Usage Over Time”. This
represents time the thread is running on a pre-existing oninit process

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DSA - Thread based database server

Result: almost complete usage of system resources

and significantly better scalability!
100

CPU
Usage

CPU being used

CPU idle, not

0 working on
process

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DSA – Putting it all together

(Two table join)

Write

DSA
Sort processes tasks
Time to concurrently
Process DSA
Join breaks tasks
into subtasks

Scan

Serial aka Parallel Parallelized

Single threaded
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DSA - Putting it all together

A single query example: Sort

Thread
select * from flights
order by flightno;

Scan
Thread

Disk Scan

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Introduction to Informix Dynamic Server 14
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DSA – Putting it all together

A more complex
example using a
parallel tree select count(*)
Sort Threads from tickets a,
flightleg b
where a.flno =
b.flno and
orig=“DFW”
Exchange Threads order by a.class
Exchange
Threads
Hash Join Threads

Exchange Threads

Scan Threads (ticket) Scan Threads

(flightleg)

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MEMORY MODEL

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Shared Memory Virtual processor A Virtual processor B

memory space memory space

 O/S feature that allows database Unallocated Unallocated

server processes to share data by space space
sharing access to pools of
memory Private Private
data data

 Reduces disk I/O by caching data Shared Memory

from disk Program
Segments
Program
text text
 Provides the fastest method of
inter-process communication

 Provides communication channels Client

for local client applications that Client

use IPC communication Data Client

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Shared Memory Segments

 Resident segment
– Contains the buffer pool and other system information
• Buffer pool caches data from table
– Can be configured to remain resident in main memory
– Fixed size

 Virtual segment
– Contains information about the threads and sessions, and the
data used by them
– Could be paged out to disk by the operating system
– Expandable

 Message segment
– Holds the message buffers used in client-server communication
if shared memory communication is configured
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Shared Memory Structure

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STORAGE MODEL

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Disk Page
 The basic unit of storage in a server

 All database and system information

is stored on pages

 The minimum unit of I/O in a server is

a page

 The size of a page is by default 2KB

on most UNIX systems and 4KB on
AIX and Windows

 Page size can also be configured

(max of 16KB)

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Extents and Tablespaces

 Extent

– Collection of contiguous pages

– Space for table is allocated in

units of extents

 Tablespace
Tablespace
Extent
– Logical collection of extents

– Storage for table

– A table can have multiple

tablespaces

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Chunks
 Largest unit of contiguous disk
dedicated to database server data
storage

 Chunk can be a raw device (character-

special device), a piece of a raw
device, or a UNIX file (cooked file)

 Maximum size of chunk is 4TB

 Maximum allowable chunks is 32767

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Dbspaces
 Logical collection of one or more
chunks

 Can have between 1 and 32767

chunks

 Maximum allowable dbspaces is

2047

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Storage Model

Dbspace

Chunk

Chunk Page

Chunk
Extents

Tablespace

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Blobspaces

 Special dbspace that stores simple large objects (TEXT and

BYTE data)

 Basic unit of storage in blobspace is a blobpage

 Blobpage size can be configured as a multiple of the

database server page size

 Database server writes data stored in a blobspace directly to

disk (not buffered)

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Sbspaces

 Special dbspace that stores smart large objects (BLOB and

CLOB data) and user defined data

 Pages in sbspace are called sbpages

 Sbpage size is same as the database server page size and is

not configurable

 Basic unit of allocation in sbspace is an extent

 Writes to sbspace are buffered by default

– Buffering can be turned off at sbspace creation time

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Mirroring
 Process of automatically writing
same data to two disks

 Eliminates data loss due to disk Primary Chunk Mirrored Chunk

failure
– If one disk fails, the data is still
available on the other disk

 Costs
– Additional disk space Writes
– Performance cost of having to
write to two locations

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Reading and Caching data

 When a client issues a query, the table data is read from disk
into buffers in shared memory

 I/O is performed in page units

 Subsequent access to the same data is from buffer pool

 Changes made to the data are visible to all database server

process

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Physical and Logical Logging

 Physical logging
– Process of storing before-images of pages that are being modified
– Before-images are stored in physical log
– Physical log is a collection of contiguous pages on disk
– Required for recovery purpose in event of a system failure

 Logical logging
– Process of recording transaction details
– Transaction records are stored in logical log
– Logical log is comprised of logical log files, which are collections of
contiguous pages on disk
– Required for transaction rollback and recovery purpose in event of a
system failure

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Checkpoints and Recovery

 Checkpoints
– Periodic system event during which all modified buffers are written to
disk
– Establishes a consistent state for database server
– Information on checkpoint event is recorded in the system pages and
logical log (needed for recovery purposes)

 Recovery
– If a system failure occurs, the database server restarts at that
established point
– Before-images of pages modified since checkpoint are restored from
physical log
– Transactions since checkpoint are then replayed from the logical log to
get the server to the consistent state just before the time of failure

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Resources

 The Online IDS Information Center

– http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/idshelp/v115/index.jsp

 IBM Informix DeveloperWorks Technical Articles

– http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/db2/products/informix/index.html

 IBM DeveloperWorks IDS Blogs

– http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/roundrep (IDS
Replication)
– http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/gbowerman (IDS
Application Development)

– http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/idsteam (IDS Experts

Blog)

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