Design / architecture issue: rollbacks with remote services

Question

For example, there is a remote API with the following calls:

getGroupCapacity(group)
setGroupCapacity(group, quantity)
getNumberOfItemsInGroup(group)
addItemToGroup(group, item)
deleteItemFromGroup(group, item)

The task is to add some element to any group. Groups have a capacity. Therefore, we must first check to see if the group is full. If so, increase capacity and then add item. Something like this (for example, the API is rendered using SOAP):

function add_item($group, $item) {
   $soap = new SoapClient(...);
   $capacity = $soap->getGroupCapacity($group);
   $itemsInGroup = $soap->getNumberOfItemsInGroup($group);
   if ($itemsInGroup == $capacity) {
       $soap->setGroupCapacity($group, $capacity + 1);
   }
   $soap->addItemToGroup($group, $item);
}

Now, what if addItemToGroup failed (the item was bad)? We need to roll back the group.

Now imagine that you need to add 10 elements for grouping, and then configure the added elements with some properties - all in one transaction. This means that if it does not work somewhere in the middle, you must drop everything in its previous state.

IF ? , , , ( PHP)?

UPD: SOAP - . , TCP. , API .

UPD2: , . PHP.

!

Answer 1

<?php
//
// Obviously better if the service supports transactions but here's
// one possible solution using the Command pattern.
//
// tl;dr: Wrap all destructive API calls in IApiCommand objects and
// run them via an ApiTransaction instance.  The IApiCommand object
// provides a method to roll the command back.  You needn't wrap the
// non-destructive commands as there no rolling those back anyway.
//
// There is one major outstanding issue: What do you want to do when
// an API command fails during a rollback? I've marked those areas
// with XXX.
//
// Barely tested but the idea is hopefully useful.
//

class ApiCommandFailedException extends Exception {}
class ApiCommandRollbackFailedException extends Exception {}
class ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException extends Exception {}

interface IApiCommand {
    public function execute();
    public function rollback();
}


// this tracks a history of executed commands and allows rollback    
class ApiTransaction {
    private $commandStack = array();

    public function execute(IApiCommand $command) {
        echo "EXECUTING " . get_class($command) . "\n";
        $result = $command->execute();
        $this->commandStack[] = $command;
        return $result;
    }

    public function rollback() {
        while ($command = array_pop($this->commandStack)) {
            try {
                echo "ROLLING BACK " . get_class($command) . "\n";
                $command->rollback();
            } catch (ApiCommandRollbackFailedException $rfe) {
                throw new ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException();
            }
        }
    }
}


// this groups all the api commands required to do your
// add_item function from the original post.  it demonstrates
// a nested transaction.
class AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $item;
    private $transaction;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $item) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->item = $item;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $this->transaction = new ApiTransaction();
            $this->transaction->execute(new EnsureGroupAvailableSpaceCommand($this->soap, $this->group, 1));
            $this->transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupCommand($this->soap, $this->group, $this->item));
        } catch (ApiCommandFailedException $ae) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            $this->transaction->rollback();
        } catch (ApiTransactionRollbackFailedException $e) {
            // XXX: determine if it recoverable and take
            //      appropriate action, e.g. wait and try
            //      again or log the remaining undo stack
            //      for a human to look into it.
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}


// this wraps the setgroupcapacity api call and
// provides a method for rolling back    
class EnsureGroupAvailableSpaceCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $numItems;
    private $previousCapacity;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $numItems=1) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->numItems = $numItems;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $capacity = $this->soap->getGroupCapacity($this->group);
            $itemsInGroup = $this->soap->getNumberOfItemsInGroup($this->group);
            $availableSpace = $capacity - $itemsInGroup;
            if ($availableSpace < $this->numItems) {
                $newCapacity = $capacity + ($this->numItems - $availableSpace);
                $this->soap->setGroupCapacity($this->group, $newCapacity);
                $this->previousCapacity = $capacity;
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            if (!is_null($this->previousCapacity)) {
                $this->soap->setGroupCapacity($this->group, $this->previousCapacity);
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}

// this wraps the additemtogroup soap api call
// and provides a method to roll the changes back
class AddItemToGroupCommand implements IApiCommand {
    private $soap;
    private $group;
    private $item;
    private $complete = false;

    public function __construct($soap, $group, $item) {
        $this->soap = $soap;
        $this->group = $group;
        $this->item = $item;
    }

    public function execute() {
        try {
            $this->soap->addItemToGroup($this->group, $this->item);
            $this->complete = true;
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandFailedException();
        }
    }

    public function rollback() {
        try {
            if ($this->complete) {
                $this->soap->removeItemFromGroup($this->group, $this->item);
            }
        } catch (SoapException $e) {
            throw new ApiCommandRollbackFailedException();
        }
    }
}


// a mock of your api
class SoapException extends Exception {}
class MockSoapClient {
    private $items = array();
    private $capacities = array();

    public function addItemToGroup($group, $item) {
        if ($group == "group2" && $item == "item1") throw new SoapException();
        $this->items[$group][] = $item;
    }

    public function removeItemFromGroup($group, $item) {
        foreach ($this->items[$group] as $k => $i) {
            if ($item == $i) {
                unset($this->items[$group][$k]);
            }
        }
    }

    public function setGroupCapacity($group, $capacity) {
        $this->capacities[$group] = $capacity;
    }

    public function getGroupCapacity($group) {
        return $this->capacities[$group];
    }

    public function getNumberOfItemsInGroup($group) {
        return count($this->items[$group]);
    }
}

// nested transaction example
// mock soap client is hardcoded to fail on the third additemtogroup attempt
// to show rollback
try {
    $soap = new MockSoapClient();
    $transaction = new ApiTransaction();
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group1", "item1")); 
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group1", "item2"));
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group2", "item1"));
    $transaction->execute(new AddItemToGroupTransactionCommand($soap, "group2", "item2"));
} catch (ApiCommandFailedException $e) {
    $transaction->rollback();
    // XXX: if the rollback fails, you'll need to figure out
    //      what you want to do depending on the nature of the failure.
    //      e.g. wait and try again, etc.
}

Answer 2

. PHP, BPEL -, Compensation.

-, , -. - , -, .

, - . if/else.

Answer 3

. setGroupCapacity() addItemToGroup(). , , . deleteItemFromGroup().

API , , .

Answer 4

PHP

SOAP , .

queryStatus = false queryStatus = true , , . , commitTransaction.

Answer 5

"WS-DeathStar" -protocol, WS-Transaction, . , ( PHP) - PHP.

Answer 6

, / , . - :

function add_item($group, $item) {
   $soap = new SoapClient(...);
   $transaction = $soap->startTransaction();
   # or: 
   #   $lock = $soap->lockGroup($group, "w");
   # strictly to prevent duplication of the rest of the code: 
   #   $transaction = $lock;
   $capacity = $soap->getGroupCapacity($transaction, $group);
   $itemsInGroup = $soap->getNumberOfItemsInGroup($transaction, $group);
   if ($itemsInGroup == $capacity) {
       $soap->setGroupCapacity($transaction, $group, $capacity + 1);
   }
   $soap->addItemToGroup($transaction, $group, $item);
   $transaction->commit();
   # or: $lock->release();
}

, , , , , / , , . , .

Answer 7

:

:

• : .
• : . , , - .
• : , .
• : . , .

, API . setGroupCapacity ? addUserToGroup, ? , .

Your current API also opens up for concurrency issues and race conditions. What should I do if I can add a user between a call getNumberOfItemsInGroupand setGroupCapacitysome other thread? Your request will fail because another thread has "stolen" your capacity.