New Configuration Parameter Storage and Setting Options

Posted December 3, 2014 by Sarah Lemaire, Manager, Vertica Documentation

Vertica 7.1.x introduces a new way to store and set configuration parameters.

Previously, configuration parameter values were stored in individual vertica.conf files on each node. As of Vertica 7.1.0, these values are stored in the database catalog, allowing the values to stay consistent over all nodes.

Why is this better? Well, when the values were stored at the node level, it was possible that down nodes could have inconsistent values when returning to the cluster because the SET_CONFIG_PARAMETER statement only acts on up nodes. Additionally, there was no way to tell which vertica.conf file had the most up-to-date information. Now, since the values are stored in the database catalog, when the down node returns and grabs the latest catalog file, it also receives the most up-to-date parameter values.

Our new storage settings go hand-in-hand with the Vertica 7.1.1 syntax option that lets you SET and CLEAR parameters at the session, node, and database level. Previously, if you wanted to make node-level changes, you had to log on to an individual node hand-edit its vertica.conf file. Not only is this tedious, but if that node were to go down, you could lose those specific settings. As of 7.1.1, the new SET and CLEAR methods allow you to configure any one node’s parameter values from any other node. Use our new SET and CLEAR keywords with the ALTER statements to take advantage of this feature. With ALTER SESSION, ALTER NODE, and ALTER DATABASE, you can set and clear multiple parameters from any node.

Watch these videos to learn more about the new configuration parameter features.

To learn about when and how to set and clear configuration parameters, see our documentation.