Thread

1. BF client script runs src/test/modules TAP tests multiple times

   Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> — 2026-04-08T05:00:51Z

   I spent some more time poking into why my buildfarm animals seemed
   to have gotten markedly slower in the past month or so.  One
   particular inflection point was the introduction of test_plan_advice.
   We knew that would be expensive, since it invokes an extra run of
   the core regression tests.  On my animal indri, which can do
   install-check-C in about 10 or 11 seconds, you'd have expected that
   to add ten-ish seconds to the total cycle time.  But it added more
   than 30 seconds.  Investigation shows that what you'd guess from
   simple arithmetic is the truth: the BF client script is invoking
   that test *three times*.  Once from make_misc_check, once from
   make_testmodules_install_check with locale "C", and once from
   make_testmodules_install_check with locale "en_US.utf8", since
   that animal is set up with
   	locales => [ 'C', 'en_US.UTF-8' ],
   
   I do not think we need this.  We should apply the same policy to
   src/test/modules as we do to contrib, namely that TAP tests are
   run just once during the "make check" phase, not during the "make
   installcheck" phases.  I've applied the attached to my animals
   and it makes for a significant drop in cycle time.
   
   (I've not looked into whether the meson side has a similar issue.)
   
   			regards, tom lane
   
   

2. Re: BF client script runs src/test/modules TAP tests multiple times

   Andrew Dunstan <andrew@dunslane.net> — 2026-04-08T13:23:43Z

   On 2026-04-08 We 1:00 AM, Tom Lane wrote:
   > I spent some more time poking into why my buildfarm animals seemed
   > to have gotten markedly slower in the past month or so.  One
   > particular inflection point was the introduction of test_plan_advice.
   > We knew that would be expensive, since it invokes an extra run of
   > the core regression tests.  On my animal indri, which can do
   > install-check-C in about 10 or 11 seconds, you'd have expected that
   > to add ten-ish seconds to the total cycle time.  But it added more
   > than 30 seconds.  Investigation shows that what you'd guess from
   > simple arithmetic is the truth: the BF client script is invoking
   > that test *three times*.  Once from make_misc_check, once from
   > make_testmodules_install_check with locale "C", and once from
   > make_testmodules_install_check with locale "en_US.utf8", since
   > that animal is set up with
   > 	locales => [ 'C', 'en_US.UTF-8' ],
   >
   > I do not think we need this.  We should apply the same policy to
   > src/test/modules as we do to contrib, namely that TAP tests are
   > run just once during the "make check" phase, not during the "make
   > installcheck" phases.  I've applied the attached to my animals
   > and it makes for a significant drop in cycle time.
   >
   > (I've not looked into whether the meson side has a similar issue.)
   >
   > 			
   
   
   Ok, I will try to rationalize this.
   
   
   cheers
   
   
   andrew
   
   --
   Andrew Dunstan
   EDB:https://www.enterprisedb.com