Czech and Slovak PostgreSQL Users Group

PostgreSQL for Oracle DBA

Oracle database logo should be there... but as of this page it can't be:
...Remember that you are generally not able to use Oracle logos unless
you are specifically licensed or authorized to use them. ...

Aleš Zelený ([email protected]), CSPUG, CC BY-SA

 PostgreSQL

Agenda
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Mind Migration
● Some terminology
● “Architecture”
● Security
● Backup and Recovery
● High Availability / Disaster recovery
● Other unordered stuff to consider

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 2

 PostgreSQL

Purpose of these slides

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Understand differences ● Migration guide

● Commons in behavior ● RDBMS ranking
● Displeasure prevention ● Feature matrix

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 3

 PostgreSQL

Mind Migration
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● PostgreSQL is not an Oracle database

● Oracle and PostgreSQL are both superb databases,
their relation is not like Red Hat and CentOS
● Do not expect equivalents for all of the Oracle
RDBMS features in PostgreSQL
● Don't hesitate to be impressed by PostgreSQL broad
range of data types
● PostgreSQL has extensions

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 4

 PostgreSQL
Terminology
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Architecture/concepts ● Logical
– Cluster Yes, a cluster can simply mean a grouping of
related things, but context is everything.
– Role
Shaun M. Thomas
– Instance – User
– Database – Schema
– Tablespace – Tuple Wiki: A tuple is a finite ordered list of elements

● quick browse through manuals will help and

don't take ages
– Architectural Fundamentals
– Documentation index

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 5

 PostgreSQL

Oracle and DB relation

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● From installed software to database (simplified)

– Instance is software loaded into memory working
with ONE database (12c PDB changed that rule)
Oracle SW installation Oracle SW installation
ORACLE_HOME ORACLE_HOME
/u01/app/oracle/product/11.2.0.4/db /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/db

Oracle instance Oracle instance Oracle instance Oracle instance

ORACLE_SID ORACLE_SID ORACLE_SID ORACLE_SID
SALES EMPLOYEE DWH INWEB

Database Database Database Database

SALES EMPLOYEE DWH INWEB

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 6

 PostgreSQL

PostgreSQL and DB relation

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● From installed software to database (simplified)

– SW installed from RPM/APT/compiled from source
PostgreSQL installation 9.4 PostgreSQL installation 9.3
POSTGRESQL_HOME POSTGRESQL_HOME
/usr/pgsql-9.4/ : /usr/pgsql-9.4/lib /usr/bin/postgres : /usr/lib64/libpq.so

PostgreSQL instance PostgreSQL instance

Running postgres process Running postgres process
PGDATA PGDATA
/var/lib/pgsql/9.4/data /var/lib/pgsql/9.4/data2

Database Database Database Database Database Database

template0 template1 postgres INWEB DWH SALES

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 7

Internal
Internalpurpose,
purpose,meta
metadata
datacatalog
catalog Applications
Applicationsdatabases
databases
 PostgreSQL

Pg & Oracle – compared

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● From installed software to database (simplified)

PostgreSQL installation 9.4 Oracle SW installation
POSTGRESQL_HOME ORACLE_HOME
/usr/pgsql-9.4/ : /usr/pgsql-9.4/lib /u01/app/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/db

PostgreSQL instance
Running postgres process Oracle instance Oracle instance
PGDATA ORACLE_SID ORACLE_SID
/var/lib/pgsql/9.4/data DWH INWEB

template0 template1 postgres INWEB DWH SALES Database Database

DWH INWEB

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 8

 PostgreSQL

Oracle – DB physical structure

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters)

– Even with RAC setup, an Oracle instance serves ONE database
● Multitenant pluggable databases in version 12 breaks that rule...
● Oracle database physical components (files)

Host: first Host: second Host: third Host: ..nth

Instance: MYDB1 Instance: MYDB2 Instance: MYDB3 Instance: MYDB<N>

Parameter file Control files Redo Log

Data files Archived Logs
Password file files

Database
MYDB
UNDO TS

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 9

 PostgreSQL

Postgres – cluster physical structure

The world's most advanced
open source database.

Not means clustering like Oracle RAC

● Postgres uses directory (might be referred by environment variable PGDATA) traditionally
called database cluster to store all necessary data managed by Postgres instance
– Which is mandatory parameter for starting Postgres instance
– Contains configuration files, and in default setup also files for all databases residing within a
particular Postgres cluster, see documentation Database File Layout

-bash-4.3$ ps -fu postgres

UID PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD database cluster
postgres 30007 1 0 19:03 ? 00:00:00 /usr/bin/postgres -D /var/lib/pgsql/data -p 5433

base/ pg_stat/ Configuration files

global/ pg_stat_tmp/ Databases directory
pg_clog/ pg_subtrans/ postgres=# select oid, datname from
pg_hba.conf pg_tblspc/ pg_database; -bash-4.3$ du -sh base/*
pg_ident.conf pg_twophase/ oid | datname
-------+----------- 6.4M base/1
pg_log/ PG_VERSION 1 | template1 6.4M base/12968
pg_multixact/ pg_xlog/ 12968 | template0 6.5M base/12973
pg_notify/ postgresql.conf 12973 | postgres tree base | head -5
pg_serial/ postmaster.opts (3 rows) base
pg_snapshots/ postmaster.pid ├── 1
│   ├── 12706
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 10
│   ├── 12706_fsm
│   ├── 12706_vm
 PostgreSQL

Postgres – mapping to Oracle files

The world's most advanced
open source database.

●
Postgres similar to Oracle might create archive of online logs for PITR
and other purposes
– Instead of “Oracle Archiver” server processes, Postgres used to call any external
command responsible for copying inactive online log to some other destination

-bash-4.3$ ps -fu postgres

UID PID PPID C STIME TTY TIME CMD database cluster
postgres 30007 1 0 19:03 ? 00:00:00 /usr/bin/postgres -D /var/lib/pgsql/data -p 5433

base/ pg_stat/ Configuration files

global/ pg_stat_tmp/ Databases directory
pg_clog/ pg_subtrans/ postgres=# select oid, datname from
pg_hba.confParameter pg_tblspc/ pg_database;
pg_ident.conffile pg_twophase/ oid | datname tree base | head -5
-------+-----------
pg_log/ PG_VERSION 1 | template1
base
pg_multixact/ pg_xlog/ Online Redo ├── 1 Data files
12968 | template0
pg_notify/ postgresql.conf
Parameter file 12973 | postgres │   ├── 12706
│   ├── 12706_fsm
pg_serial/ postmaster.opts (3 rows)
│   ├── 12706_vm
pg_snapshots/ postmaster.pid
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs Control files 11
archive_command ...
documentation Password file
Archived Logs
 PostgreSQL

Tablespaces and filesystems

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Tablespaces might reside on different filesystem

– Outage prevention
– Data & storage tier life cycle management
● Online active data on SSD
● Archive data on rotating disks
● Tablespace for temporary files – fast might be unprotected
storage, no data loss risk
● Wiki page - File System Layouts

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 12

 PostgreSQL

Where is UNDO tablespace?

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Answer: inside the data files

● Is this feature free of charge?
● No, space maintenance (vacuum) is needed to avoid
table bloat.
Data change trn. ● Postgres manages data consistency
using MVCC model (Multiversion
New data in table block Concurrency Control)
– Transaction isolation for each session
– Snapshot of data visible to each session
Before image is based on transaction number
Stored in UNDO
segment
– Minimize locking contention
– Readers never blocks writes
Undo segments – Serializable snapshot Isolation is available
Cyclic buffer
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 13
 PostgreSQL

Online REDO ~ WAL files

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Online REDOlogs are cyclic buffer in Oracle

– “cleaned up” by archiver process
– Static amount of redolog Groups each with one or
more members within a redolog group
– Log switch tunning
● WAL – Write Ahead Log files (XLOGs)
– “cyclic buffer space” with only soft limit in size
– File reuse – rename already archived file
– archive_command is used called each time WAL is
switched to new file (there is no “archiver” process in
postgres)
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 14
 PostgreSQL

WAL files
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Place them on separate filesystem

– Up to 9.4 space requirement for XLOG filesystem
● (2 + checkpoint_completion_target) *
checkpoint_segments + 1 or checkpoint_segments +
wal_keep_segments + 1 files. Each segment file is normally
16 MB.
– Starting with 9.5
● wal_min_size (default 80MB ~ 5 xlogs) and wal_max_size
(default 1GB ~ 64 xlogs)
– Amount of WAL segments between automatic WAL
checkpoint (higher values ~ potentially more data for
datafiles recovery after server crash)
– Both configurations are SOFT limit only
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 15
 PostgreSQL

Archive_mode and WAL_level

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Archive_mode
– off, on, always (archive again on streaming replica)
● wal_level
– minimal
● Used for crash recovery only ~ Oracle noarchivelog
– Archive
● Used for streaming replication ~ Oracle DataGuard
– hot_standby
● Used for streaming replication with read only access to
replica ~ Oracle Active DataGuard

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 16

 PostgreSQL

Memory
The world's most advanced
open source database.

Instance
Oracle structure:
SGA
Shared pool
Parameters relation…. Data buffer Redo log Library Cache
cache buffer
Oracle Postgres Data Dictionary Cache

db_cache_size shared_buffers
SMON DBW0 PMON CKPT LGWR ostatní
sort_area_size work_mem,
(pga_aggregate_target) temp_buffers
log_buffer_size wal_buffers
maintetance_work_mem SHARED MEMORY
effective_cache_size ● shared buffers
Per process MEMORY ● wal buffers
Postgres structure: ● CLOG buffers
● Work mem ● Locks space
● Maintenanace work mem
Nice description can be ● Other buffers
● Temp buffer
found at link: ● Catalog cache
PostgreSQL 9.0 Architecture ● Optimizer/executor

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 17

 PostgreSQL

Architecture – database structure

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle database structure (simplified)

Database
Logical Physical
Tablespaces

Segment Data file

Extent

Operating
Oracle block
system block
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 18
 PostgreSQL

Architecture – database structure

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● PostgreSQL database structure (simplified)

custom
Logical Physical Cluster wide tables
eg. pg_database
Tablespaces:
symlinks to
physical
DB cluster PGDATA Default
tablespace
directories

pg_default → pg_global →
Tablespaces PGDATA/base PGDATA/global
pg_tblspc/

Database

DB Objects File name:

pg_class.relfilenode
table, index...
Data files
+free space map (_fsm)
8k pages +visibility map (_vm)
1GB default size limit,
subsequent files are created
automatically

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs Operating 19

system block
 PostgreSQL

Architecture – database structure

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● PostgreSQL database structure (simplified)

datafile
Database I datafile
datafile

Database II datafile
Tablespace_A

Database III
DB cluster

datafile datafile datafile

datafile datafile
datafile datafile
Default tablespace
PGDATA/base Tablespace_B

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 20

 PostgreSQL

Architecture - connections
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle ● PostgreSQL
– Master process postgres listens for
– Process named listener is new connections
responsible to handle new ● pg_hba.conf (user/database/network
connections restrictions)
● listener.ora (network ● postgresql.conf (TCP port, kerberos,
restrictions, TCP port) RDBMS cofiguration...)
● sqlnet.ora (protocol
– Dedicated server only
configuration, kerberos...) ● Shared memory and semaphores are
used for inter process synchronization
– Dedicated server processes – Connection pooling by other
per client products
– Multi-threaded server ● PgBouncer
● pgpool-II
● Always used on Windows

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 21

 PostgreSQL

Architecture notes
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle ● PostgreSQL
– Decided that RDBMS – Relies on (believes to)
is right and only place OS file cache
to manage database management
buffers – Do not re-implement
– Promotes its ASM to features already
implemented in OS,
have a direct control
thus it use file system to
on file management store its data files (no
(ASM is kind of LVM RAW device support)
dedicated to Oracle)

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 22

 PostgreSQL

Security observations I
The world's most advanced
open source database.

●
Oracle has users and roles
– Users and Roles are defined on DB level (not applies for PDB)
– Users and Roles are different entities
●
Postgres has roles only
– Some roles might be granted “with login” permission
●
Oracle schema consist from a single user objects (schema =
user)
– Schema is not an object, so it can't be granted
●
Postgres schema is a grantable name-space object
– Ownership and usage on schema might be granted to roles
– Objects owned by different roles (users) might reside within a single
schema
– Public schema might (and should) be dropped

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 23

 PostgreSQL

Security observations
The world's most advanced
open source database.

SW installation:
/oracle/product/12.1.0.2/db_1
OS access control to files

user1

RoleOne
X TableA
Does't work
TableB

user3 TableA RoleTwo FunctionC

TableB Schema:
user2 user2
FunctionC
Schema:
user3
X - Does't work
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 24
 PostgreSQL

Security observations II
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle tablespace always belongs to a database

– quotas might be used to limit tablespace usage by users
● Postgres tablespace is defined at cluster level
– “create” on TS might be granted to a role
– TS ownership to a role might be defined
– There are no space usage quotas on tablespace, check FS free space
● Oracle database contains users defined inside DB, there is no
database ownership concept
– Grant scope is always within a database (PDB global users exception
exists)
● Postgres database might be owned by a specific role
– One role might have granted access on objects from multiple databases
– Role attributes possible in scope of database – alter role XXX se
serach_path = YYY,ZZZ in MY_DATABASE

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 25

 PostgreSQL

Security observations III

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle distinguish
– System privileges (create table..., select any ... )
– Object privileges (grant select on … )
● Postgres does not have such strong difference
– Login permission is cluster wide kind of “system”
privilege
– Mostly all privileges are related to some objects
including database object itself
● Grant connect on database myDB
● Grant usage on ...
● Grant create on ...
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 26
 PostgreSQL

Security observations IV
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle Advanced Security

– Transparent Data Encryption
– Kerberos (MS AD integration) is available without
Advanced security as of 12.1 release, applies to older
releases
– Many other security features (VPD, RLS...)
● Postgres
– SSO available
– Row Security Policies are available with 9.5 release
– TDE is not available
– Encryption is covered by separate module pgcrypto
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 27
 PostgreSQL

Security observations V
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle remote access control

– IP address level: sqlnet.ora
● tcp.validnode_checking = yes
● tcp.invited_nodes = (hostname1, hostname2)
● tcp.excluded_nodes = (192.168.10.3)
– username password and create session is evaluated as
next step
● Postgres
– pg_hba.conf File
● username/role_membership, database name, source IP address
and authentification method is evaluated prior password validation
● Password is evaluated as next step

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 28

 PostgreSQL

Security observations VI
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle [public] synonyms

– Synonyms are used to reference another user (schema)
objects
– Might be defined as public – accessible to all users
● Postgres
– search_path session environment is used to define scope of
visible objects, used similar to PATH in OS
● Might be defined at cluster level
● Users might have specified different search path values in particular
databases
ALTER ROLE { role_specification | ALL } [ IN
DATABASE database_name ] SET
configuration_parameter { TO | = } { value |
DEFAULT }
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 29
 PostgreSQL

Security features...
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● ALL macro in grant commands

– Expands to all at time of execution existing objects satisfying
grant scope criteria
● Grant execute on ALL functions in schema my_schema to …
● Alter default privileges
– Does not affect existing objects, applied to newly created ones
– Doc: ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES
ALTER DEFAULT PRIVILEGES
[ FOR { ROLE | USER } target_role
[, ...] ]
[ IN SCHEMA schema_name [, ...] ]
abbreviated_grant_or_revoke

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 30

 PostgreSQL

Backup … and recovery

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Database [full or partial] dump

– Oracle exp/imp, expdp/impdp
– Postgres
● pg_dump / pg_restore
– “directory” format supports parallel dumps
● pg_dumpall (use it for cluster globals only)
– Load dump by call to psql
● Thanks to MVCC, there is no “ORA-1555” risk during
dump
– For sure, the backup is consistent even if the database is used
during the dump

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 31

 PostgreSQL

Binary backups and recovery

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Offline! Works for Oracle, Postgres…

● Online Oracle database backups
– Manual
● Alter database (tablespace) begin backup, Copy corresponding datafiles, alter
database (tablespace) end backup, store archived redologs needed for
recovery
– Or use Oracle RMAN utility
● Online Postgres cluster backup
– Backup Control Functions
● pg_start_backup(), pg_stop_backup(), same as above for Oracle [no TS level
available]
– pg_basebackup
● Handle calls to backup control functions and might produce copy of postgres
cluster or tar archive with the backup. Some features are available like
tablespace mapping for convenient backup procedure/higher flexibility

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 32

 PostgreSQL

Binary backups and recovery

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● pgBarman
– Some features similar to oracle RMAN
● Recovery window / # of copies
● Stores archived WALs together with Barman backups
● Backup reports
● Does not use “rman catalog”, backed up files with some barman
metadata files are enough
● Single backup might be aechived to tape (tape integration is not
part of pgBarman) – it disappears from backup reports, once
retrieved from tape, pgBarman can use the backup again
● pgBackRest
– More complicated configuration than Barman, incremental
backups seems to be implemented slightly better
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 33
 PostgreSQL

HA & DR
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● OS clusterware (RHEL Pace Maker,

PowerHA…)
– Simply works
● There is no usable technology like Oracle
RAC for PostgreSQL server
– Sharding (Postgres XL) is not about sharing data
files between nodes
– Oracle 12.2 seems to provide some support for
sharding

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 34

 PostgreSQL

Oracle replication
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle DataGuard
– Log shipping (log_archive_dest_n) by archiver
● ARCHIVE_LAG_TARGET
– Redo transmit by LGWR
● ASYNC
● SYNC
● Delayed recovery - DELAY=minutes attribute of the
LOG_ARCHIVE_DEST_n
– Logical standby
– Active Data Guard
– Golden Gate
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 35
 PostgreSQL

RDBMS replication
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Postgres
– Log-Shipping Standby Servers
● archive_timeout
– Streaming Replication
● ASYNC (default)
● SYNC - Synchronous Replication
● Standby Server Settings recovery_min_apply_delay available from
9.4
– Logical Standby
● Slony, Bucardo, logical decoding framework
– Hot Standby ( read only accessible standby )
– BDR provides asynchronous multi-master logical replication.
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 36
 PostgreSQL

Others… I
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● psql command line client

– Comfortable interface, but be aware of default
AUTOCOMMIT behavior
● CZ fast reference by Pavel Stěhule
● --data-checksums initdb option
– Page check-sums are calculated for all object in all
databases in cluster
– use pgbench to vefiry performance impact
– Checksum is calculated on page read
– Backup operate at file level, checksums are not calculated
during backup
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 37
 PostgreSQL

Others… II
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Oracle dual table

– select function() from dual;
– SQL Loader, External tables
– db links
● PostgreSQL
– select function(); select 5/8;
– copy command (client side, server side), file_fdw for
CSV files, format compatible with COPY command
required
– Foreign Data Wrappers for many kinds of data sources,
including Oracle database
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 38
 PostgreSQL

Others… III
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Porting from Oracle PL/SQL

– Oracle / Postgres – often similar, not always the same
● ORA: trunc(date_variable, format)
● PG: date_trunc('field', source)
● Pipelined functions are not implemented
● Group by can use column alias in postgreSQL
open2300db=> select date_trunc('hour', rec_datetime) as record_time,
round(avg(temp_out), 2) as avg_temp,
max(wind_speed_max) as max_wind_max
from open2300.weather where
rec_datetime > now() - interval '3 hour'
group by record_time
order by record_time desc;
record_time | avg_temp | max_wind_max
------------------------+----------+--------------
2016-02-15 22:00:00+01 | 3.04 | 2.4
2016-02-15 21:00:00+01 | 3.23 | 2.5
2016-02-15 20:00:00+01 | 3.66 | 2.3
2016-02-15 19:00:00+01 | 4.11 | 2.6
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 39
 PostgreSQL

Others… partitioning
The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Postgres partitioning is implemented on top of

inheritance feature
– Declarative partitioning like in Oracle is not available
● Some basic development for 9.6
● Constraint on child tables
● Trigger on master table
– Static IF… requires trigger compilation if new child
partition tables are added
– Trigger builds dynamic SQL – more overhead
● No global indexes on partitioned tables
17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 40
 PostgreSQL

Others… get table filename

The world's most advanced
open source database.

● Bonus link:
How to find out which PostgreSQL table a file on
disk corresponds to

● Q & A /* end of slides */

17.2.2016 PostgreSQL for Oracle DBAs 41