#32769: Fix for sporadically crashing parallel test runner
---------------------------------------------+------------------------
               Reporter:  quinox             |          Owner:  nobody
                   Type:  Bug                |         Status:  new
              Component:  Testing framework  |        Version:  2.2
               Severity:  Normal             |       Keywords:
           Triage Stage:  Unreviewed         |      Has patch:  0
    Needs documentation:  0                  |    Needs tests:  0
Patch needs improvement:  0                  |  Easy pickings:  0
                  UI/UX:  0                  |
---------------------------------------------+------------------------
 G'day,

 I'd like to report a fix for a bug I found with the parallel test runner.
 I'm filing it against 2.2 since that's what I use myself, but looking at
 the sourcecode 3.2 also has this bug.

 Tickets that sound related but also not entirely the same: #27734

 I have about 25 active Django projects, all in CI with testcases, some
 going back 10 years. About 6 months ago I started using `--parallel` to
 speed up testing. The speedup is great, obviously I had to fix some tests
 that were not compatible but that has been sorted out by now.

 Since using `--parallel` I've also encountered crashes that really can't
 be blamed on my own code. They happen quite infrequent, so up to now I've
 been ignoring them. Today I ran into it again and decided to do some
 digging.

 == The crash

 They always look like this:

 {{{
 #!python
 Traceback (most recent call last):
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 218, in
 ensure_connection
     self.connect()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 196, in connect
     self.connection = self.get_new_connection(conn_params)
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py", line 182, in
 get_new_connection
     connection = Database.connect(**conn_params)
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/psycopg2/__init__.py", line 127, in connect
     conn = _connect(dsn, connection_factory=connection_factory, **kwasync)
 psycopg2.OperationalError: FATAL:  database "test_3" does not exist


 The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:

 Traceback (most recent call last):
   File "/usr/lib/python3.6/unittest/suite.py", line 163, in
 _handleClassSetUp
     setUpClass()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/test/testcases.py", line 1126, in setUpClass
     cls.cls_atomics = cls._enter_atomics()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/test/testcases.py", line 1107, in _enter_atomics
     atomics[db_name].__enter__()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/transaction.py", line 175, in __enter__
     if not connection.get_autocommit():
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 380, in
 get_autocommit
     self.ensure_connection()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 218, in
 ensure_connection
     self.connect()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/utils.py", line 89, in __exit__
     raise dj_exc_value.with_traceback(traceback) from exc_value
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 218, in
 ensure_connection
     self.connect()
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/base/base.py", line 196, in connect
     self.connection = self.get_new_connection(conn_params)
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/django/db/backends/postgresql/base.py", line 182, in
 get_new_connection
     connection = Database.connect(**conn_params)
   File "/mnt/drive/projects/ytec-my_awesome_project/virtual/lib/python3.6
 /site-packages/psycopg2/__init__.py", line 127, in connect
     conn = _connect(dsn, connection_factory=connection_factory, **kwasync)
 django.db.utils.OperationalError: FATAL:  database "test_3" does not exist
 }}}

 == My observations

 It has been happening across projects. Today I zoomed in on 1 specific
 project. The facts summarized:

 * My CPU has 4 cores (this is important for the story)
 * When I only test 2 separate classes at once I can trigger it once every
 30 times
 * The crashes always mention the DBs `test_3` or `test_4`, never `test_1`
 * The precise command line: `python test my_app_with_two_testcase_classes
 --parallel`
 * I haven't set `DJANGO_TEST_PROCESSES`

 I hacked the Django code with additional `print()` statements. Things I
 noticed:
 * Django starts out with assuming it can do 4 parallel processess, which
 is correct for my CPU
 * When checking the Postgresql DB log 3 DBs are made:
 {{{
 $ grep 'CREATE DATABASE' postgres.log
 2021-05-19 14:29:11.473 CEST [23952] LOG:  duration: 216.274 ms
 statement: CREATE DATABASE test ENCODING 'UNICODE';
 2021-05-19 14:29:12.918 CEST [24024] LOG:  duration: 226.477 ms
 statement: CREATE DATABASE "test_1" WITH TEMPLATE "test"
 2021-05-19 14:29:13.147 CEST [24025] LOG:  duration: 225.881 ms
 statement: CREATE DATABASE "test_2" WITH TEMPLATE "test"
 }}}
 * `db.backends.base.creation`
 `BaseDatabaseCreation.get_test_db_clone_settings` is called four times,
 with suffix `1`, `2`, `3` and `4`
 * `test.runner` `_init_worker` is called four times, with `_worker_id`
 `1`, `2`, `3` and `4`.
 * `db.backends.postgresql.creation` `DatabaseCreation._clone_test_db` is
 called twice, always with `test_1` and `test_2` as DBs
 * `db.backends.postgresql.creation`
 `DatabaseWrapper.get_connection_params` is called twice:
   * most of time time with `test_1` and `test_2`. In these cases the
 testcases do not crash
   * once in a while with fe. `test_1` and `test_3`. In this case Django
 will crash

 == My fix

 Based on the prints I'm assuming Django creates 4 processes, then only
 initializes 2 because it only needs 2, and as long as the first 2
 processes get used everything works out but if, by randomness, either the
 3rd or 4th process is activated things break?

 Because it happens so infrequently I can't 100% guarantee my fix works,
 but it appears to: after applying my fix `_init_worker` is called only
 twice, `get_test_db_clone_settings` is called only twice, and I haven't
 seen it crash after 200 consecutive runs.

 {{{
 --- old_runner.py       2021-05-19 15:01:32.756268287 +0200
 +++ new_runner.py       2021-05-19 15:01:18.844150140 +0200
 @@ -541,6 +541,7 @@
              # basis, there's no need for more processes than TestCases.
              parallel_units = len(parallel_suite.subsuites)
              self.parallel = min(self.parallel, parallel_units)
 +            parallel_suite.processes = self.parallel

              # If there's only one TestCase, parallelization isn't needed.
              if self.parallel > 1:
 }}}

 I can make a PR in Github if you want (against the main branch then?)

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://code.djangoproject.com/ticket/32769>
Django <https://code.djangoproject.com/>
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