validation: introduce unused ChainstateManager

ChainstateManager is responsible for creating and managing multiple
chainstates, and will provide a high-level interface for accessing the
appropriate chainstate based upon a certain use.

Incorporates feedback from Marco Falke. Additional documentation written
by Russ Yanofsky.

Co-authored-by: Russell Yanofsky <russ@yanofsky.org>

src/validation.cpp

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 #include <index/txindex.h>
 #include <logging.h>
 #include <logging/timer.h>
+#include <optional.h>
 #include <policy/fees.h>
 #include <policy/policy.h>
 #include <policy/settings.h>
@@ -4950,6 +4951,14 @@ void CChainState::CheckBlockIndex(const Consensus::Params& consensusParams)
     assert(nNodes == forward.size());
 }
 
+std::string CChainState::ToString()
+{
+    CBlockIndex* tip = m_chain.Tip();
+    return strprintf("Chainstate [%s] @ height %d (%s)",
+        m_from_snapshot_blockhash.IsNull() ? "ibd" : "snapshot",
+        tip ? tip->nHeight : -1, tip ? tip->GetBlockHash().ToString() : "null");
+}
+
 std::string CBlockFileInfo::ToString() const
 {
     return strprintf("CBlockFileInfo(blocks=%u, size=%u, heights=%u...%u, time=%s...%s)", nBlocks, nSize, nHeightFirst, nHeightLast, FormatISO8601Date(nTimeFirst), FormatISO8601Date(nTimeLast));
@@ -5144,3 +5153,90 @@ public:
     }
 };
 static CMainCleanup instance_of_cmaincleanup;
+
+Optional<uint256> ChainstateManager::SnapshotBlockhash() const {
+    if (m_active_chainstate != nullptr) {
+        // If a snapshot chainstate exists, it will always be our active.
+        return m_active_chainstate->m_from_snapshot_blockhash;
+    }
+    return {};
+}
+
+std::vector<CChainState*> ChainstateManager::GetAll()
+{
+    std::vector<CChainState*> out;
+
+    if (!IsSnapshotValidated() && m_ibd_chainstate) {
+        out.push_back(m_ibd_chainstate.get());
+    }
+
+    if (m_snapshot_chainstate) {
+        out.push_back(m_snapshot_chainstate.get());
+    }
+
+    return out;
+}
+
+CChainState& ChainstateManager::InitializeChainstate(const uint256& snapshot_blockhash)
+{
+    bool is_snapshot = !snapshot_blockhash.IsNull();
+    std::unique_ptr<CChainState>& to_modify =
+        is_snapshot ? m_snapshot_chainstate : m_ibd_chainstate;
+
+    if (to_modify) {
+        throw std::logic_error("should not be overwriting a chainstate");
+    }
+
+    to_modify.reset(new CChainState(snapshot_blockhash));
+
+    // Snapshot chainstates and initial IBD chaintates always become active.
+    if (is_snapshot || (!is_snapshot && !m_active_chainstate)) {
+        LogPrintf("Switching active chainstate to %s\n", to_modify->ToString());
+        m_active_chainstate = to_modify.get();
+    } else {
+        throw std::logic_error("unexpected chainstate activation");
+    }
+
+    return *to_modify;
+}
+
+CChain& ChainstateManager::ActiveChain() const
+{
+    assert(m_active_chainstate);
+    return m_active_chainstate->m_chain;
+}
+
+bool ChainstateManager::IsSnapshotActive() const
+{
+    return m_snapshot_chainstate && m_active_chainstate == m_snapshot_chainstate.get();
+}
+
+CChainState& ChainstateManager::ValidatedChainstate() const
+{
+    if (m_snapshot_chainstate && IsSnapshotValidated()) {
+        return *m_snapshot_chainstate.get();
+    }
+    assert(m_ibd_chainstate);
+    return *m_ibd_chainstate.get();
+}
+
+bool ChainstateManager::IsBackgroundIBD(CChainState* chainstate) const
+{
+    return (m_snapshot_chainstate && chainstate == m_ibd_chainstate.get());
+}
+
+void ChainstateManager::Unload()
+{
+    for (CChainState* chainstate : this->GetAll()) {
+        chainstate->m_chain.SetTip(nullptr);
+        chainstate->UnloadBlockIndex();
+    }
+}
+
+void ChainstateManager::Reset()
+{
+    m_ibd_chainstate.reset();
+    m_snapshot_chainstate.reset();
+    m_active_chainstate = nullptr;
+    m_snapshot_validated = false;
+}

src/validation.h

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <coins.h>
 #include <crypto/common.h> // for ReadLE64
 #include <fs.h>
+#include <optional.h>
 #include <policy/feerate.h>
 #include <protocol.h> // For CMessageHeader::MessageStartChars
 #include <script/script_error.h>
@@ -539,6 +540,9 @@ enum class CoinsCacheSizeState
     OK = 0
 };
 
+// Defined below, but needed for `friend` usage in CChainState.
+class ChainstateManager;
+
 /**
  * CChainState stores and provides an API to update our local knowledge of the
  * current best chain.
@@ -748,6 +752,8 @@ public:
         size_t max_coins_cache_size_bytes,
         size_t max_mempool_size_bytes) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(::cs_main);
 
+    std::string ToString() EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(::cs_main);
+
 private:
     bool ActivateBestChainStep(BlockValidationState& state, const CChainParams& chainparams, CBlockIndex* pindexMostWork, const std::shared_ptr<const CBlock>& pblock, bool& fInvalidFound, ConnectTrace& connectTrace) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main, ::mempool.cs);
     bool ConnectTip(BlockValidationState& state, const CChainParams& chainparams, CBlockIndex* pindexNew, const std::shared_ptr<const CBlock>& pblock, ConnectTrace& connectTrace, DisconnectedBlockTransactions& disconnectpool) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main, ::mempool.cs);
@@ -760,6 +766,8 @@ private:
 
     //! Mark a block as not having block data
     void EraseBlockData(CBlockIndex* index) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main);
+
+    friend ChainstateManager;
 };
 
 /** Mark a block as precious and reorganize.
@@ -775,6 +783,111 @@ bool InvalidateBlock(BlockValidationState& state, const CChainParams& chainparam
 /** Remove invalidity status from a block and its descendants. */
 void ResetBlockFailureFlags(CBlockIndex* pindex) EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(cs_main);
 
+/**
+ * Provides an interface for creating and interacting with one or two
+ * chainstates: an IBD chainstate generated by downloading blocks, and
+ * an optional snapshot chainstate loaded from a UTXO snapshot. Managed
+ * chainstates can be maintained at different heights simultaneously.
+ *
+ * This class provides abstractions that allow the retrieval of the current
+ * most-work chainstate ("Active") as well as chainstates which may be in
+ * background use to validate UTXO snapshots.
+ *
+ * Definitions:
+ *
+ * *IBD chainstate*: a chainstate whose current state has been "fully"
+ *   validated by the initial block download process.
+ *
+ * *Snapshot chainstate*: a chainstate populated by loading in an
+ *    assumeutxo UTXO snapshot.
+ *
+ * *Active chainstate*: the chainstate containing the current most-work
+ *    chain. Consulted by most parts of the system (net_processing,
+ *    wallet) as a reflection of the current chain and UTXO set.
+ *    This may either be an IBD chainstate or a snapshot chainstate.
+ *
+ * *Background IBD chainstate*: an IBD chainstate for which the
+ *    IBD process is happening in the background while use of the
+ *    active (snapshot) chainstate allows the rest of the system to function.
+ *
+ * *Validated chainstate*: the most-work chainstate which has been validated
+ *   locally via initial block download. This will be the snapshot chainstate
+ *   if a snapshot was loaded and all blocks up to the snapshot starting point
+ *   have been downloaded and validated (via background validation), otherwise
+ *   it will be the IBD chainstate.
+ */
+class ChainstateManager
+{
+private:
+    //! The chainstate used under normal operation (i.e. "regular" IBD) or, if
+    //! a snapshot is in use, for background validation.
+    //!
+    //! Its contents (including on-disk data) will be deleted *upon shutdown*
+    //! after background validation of the snapshot has completed. We do not
+    //! free the chainstate contents immediately after it finishes validation
+    //! to cautiously avoid a case where some other part of the system is still
+    //! using this pointer (e.g. net_processing).
+    std::unique_ptr<CChainState> m_ibd_chainstate;
+
+    //! A chainstate initialized on the basis of a UTXO snapshot. If this is
+    //! non-null, it is always our active chainstate.
+    std::unique_ptr<CChainState> m_snapshot_chainstate;
+
+    //! Points to either the ibd or snapshot chainstate; indicates our
+    //! most-work chain.
+    CChainState* m_active_chainstate{nullptr};
+
+    //! If true, the assumed-valid chainstate has been fully validated
+    //! by the background validation chainstate.
+    bool m_snapshot_validated{false};
+
+    // For access to m_active_chainstate.
+    friend CChain& ChainActive();
+
+public:
+    //! Instantiate a new chainstate and assign it based upon whether it is
+    //! from a snapshot.
+    //!
+    //! @param[in] snapshot_blockhash   If given, signify that this chainstate
+    //!                                 is based on a snapshot.
+    CChainState& InitializeChainstate(const uint256& snapshot_blockhash = uint256())
+        EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(::cs_main);
+
+    //! Get all chainstates currently being used.
+    std::vector<CChainState*> GetAll();
+
+    //! The most-work chain.
+    CChain& ActiveChain() const;
+    int ActiveHeight() const { return ActiveChain().Height(); }
+    CBlockIndex* ActiveTip() const { return ActiveChain().Tip(); }
+
+    bool IsSnapshotActive() const;
+
+    Optional<uint256> SnapshotBlockhash() const;
+
+    //! Is there a snapshot in use and has it been fully validated?
+    bool IsSnapshotValidated() const { return m_snapshot_validated; }
+
+    //! @returns true if this chainstate is being used to validate an active
+    //!          snapshot in the background.
+    bool IsBackgroundIBD(CChainState* chainstate) const;
+
+    //! Return the most-work chainstate that has been fully validated.
+    //!
+    //! During background validation of a snapshot, this is the IBD chain. After
+    //! background validation has completed, this is the snapshot chain.
+    CChainState& ValidatedChainstate() const;
+
+    CChain& ValidatedChain() const { return ValidatedChainstate().m_chain; }
+    CBlockIndex* ValidatedTip() const { return ValidatedChain().Tip(); }
+
+    //! Unload block index and chain data before shutdown.
+    void Unload() EXCLUSIVE_LOCKS_REQUIRED(::cs_main);
+
+    //! Clear (deconstruct) chainstate data.
+    void Reset();
+};
+
 /** @returns the most-work valid chainstate. */
 CChainState& ChainstateActive();