Doc: improve descriptions of max_[pred_]locks_per_transaction GUCs.

The old wording described these as being multiplied by max_connections
plus max_prepared_transactions, which hasn't been exactly right for
some time thanks to the addition of various auxiliary processes.
Moreover, exactness here is a bit pointless given that the lock tables
can expand into the initially-unallocated "slop" space in shared
memory.  Rather than trying to track exactly what the code is doing,
let's just use the term "server processes".

Likewise adjust these GUCs' description strings in guc_tables.c.

Wang Wei, reviewed by Nathan Bossart and myself

Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/OS3PR01MB6275BDD09C9B875C65FCC5AB9EA39@OS3PR01MB6275.jpnprd01.prod.outlook.com

1 files changed, 13 insertions, 15 deletions

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
index 25111d5caf..2762290465 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/config.sgml
@@ -10236,13 +10236,12 @@ dynamic_library_path = 'C:\tools\postgresql;H:\my_project\lib;$libdir'
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
-        The shared lock table tracks locks on
-        <varname>max_locks_per_transaction</varname> * (<xref
-        linkend="guc-max-connections"/> + <xref
-        linkend="guc-max-prepared-transactions"/>) objects (e.g.,  tables);
+        The shared lock table has space for
+        <varname>max_locks_per_transaction</varname> objects
+        (e.g., tables) per server process or prepared transaction;
         hence, no more than this many distinct objects can be locked at
-        any one time.  This parameter controls the average number of object
-        locks allocated for each transaction;  individual transactions
+        any one time.  This parameter limits the average number of object
+        locks used by each transaction; individual transactions
         can lock more objects as long as the locks of all transactions
         fit in the lock table.  This is <emphasis>not</emphasis> the number of
         rows that can be locked; that value is unlimited.  The default,
@@ -10253,8 +10252,8 @@ dynamic_library_path = 'C:\tools\postgresql;H:\my_project\lib;$libdir'
        </para>
 
        <para>
-        When running a standby server, you must set this parameter to the
-        same or higher value than on the primary server. Otherwise, queries
+        When running a standby server, you must set this parameter to have the
+        same or higher value as on the primary server. Otherwise, queries
         will not be allowed in the standby server.
        </para>
       </listitem>
@@ -10268,17 +10267,16 @@ dynamic_library_path = 'C:\tools\postgresql;H:\my_project\lib;$libdir'
       </term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
-        The shared predicate lock table tracks locks on
-        <varname>max_pred_locks_per_transaction</varname> * (<xref
-        linkend="guc-max-connections"/> + <xref
-        linkend="guc-max-prepared-transactions"/>) objects (e.g., tables);
+        The shared predicate lock table has space for
+        <varname>max_pred_locks_per_transaction</varname> objects
+        (e.g., tables) per server process or prepared transaction;
         hence, no more than this many distinct objects can be locked at
-        any one time.  This parameter controls the average number of object
-        locks allocated for each transaction;  individual transactions
+        any one time.  This parameter limits the average number of object
+        locks used by each transaction; individual transactions
         can lock more objects as long as the locks of all transactions
         fit in the lock table.  This is <emphasis>not</emphasis> the number of
         rows that can be locked; that value is unlimited.  The default,
-        64, has generally been sufficient in testing, but you might need to
+        64, has historically proven sufficient, but you might need to
         raise this value if you have clients that touch many different
         tables in a single serializable transaction. This parameter can
         only be set at server start.