GemFire: Cache servers slow to start due to long oplog recovery and large RVV exception lists

Products

• VMware Tanzu Data Suite
• VMware Tanzu Gemfire

Issue/Introduction

GemFire cache servers take an unusually long time to start because oplog recovery is slow, and server logs show large Region Version Vector (RVV) exception lists for one or more persistent regions.

The cache server logs typically show messages similar to the following:

• Region PdxTypes requesting initial image from cacheServer
• recovered RVV is RegionVersionVector[... local exceptions=[...]]

The RVV exception list represents gaps in version sequencing; a large number of exceptions increases the work required for consistency checks and can significantly slow startup and persistence recovery.

Environment

• All currently supported Tanzu GemFire / VMware GemFire versions that use persistent regions and oplogs.

Cause

This is a known product issue related to how GemFire handles RVVs and oplog recovery during startup in certain persistence and topology scenarios.

Large RVV exception lists cause additional consistency verification work when recovering from disk, which prolongs region initialization and overall server startup.

Resolution

• Subscribe to this article to receive updates when a product fix or specific version guidance becomes available.
• When planning maintenance or restart operations for clusters with large persistent regions, allow additional time for server startup and recovery.
• If startup times become operationally unacceptable, contact Support with recent cache server logs, including RVV output and oplog recovery messages, for case-specific guidance and potential recovery options.