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To simulate a lock in mysql I can grab the row with the following:

BEGIN;
SELECT * FROM table WHERE id=1 FOR UPDATE;

Now, if I try and update that row (from another connection) it will raise the following error after innodb_lock_wait_timeout seconds (default: 50):

(1205, 'Lock wait timeout exceeded; try restarting transaction')

How would I simulate a deadlock then, so I get an error that looks like:

Deadlock found when trying to get lock; try restarting transaction”

When I try and query or update the row?

Update: even when trying to simulate the mysql deadlock example, I get Lock wait timeout exceeded; try restarting transaction rather than a deadlock message.

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3 Answers 3

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First of all, refering to your last edit, the example in the manual should work. If it doesn't, there is either a fundamental problem, or you are missing some detail, so I would start there and make sure that you get it working.

The deadlock example has 3 steps, and I suspect you may have missed the last one:

  1. T1: select

  2. T2: delete. T2 has to wait for T1 now. Waiting means, that MySQL currently still sees a possible way that both T1 and T2 can finish successfully! For example, T1 can just commit now. Noone knows, so T2 waits for what happens. If you wait too long in this step, you will get a timeout (which is what I suspect happened).

  3. T1: delete. This will result in a deadlock in T2. You need this last step to create a non-resolvable conflict.

You should try that example first, and carefully, as the devil is in the details. Leading to a detail in your own example:

You are using SELECT ... FOR UPDATE. FOR UPDATE is actually a way to reduce the number of deadlocks (which is the opposite of what you want), at the price of locking more restrictively. E.g. you have more situation where MySQL waits just to be safe, instead of going on and hoping it will work out eventually (or not, hence deadlock). Note that the example in the manual uses LOCK IN SHARE MODE for that reason.

So to modify and expand your own example to get a deadlock, you can do

 T1: START TRANSACTION;
     SELECT * FROM table WHERE id=1 LOCK IN SHARE MODE;

 T2: START TRANSACTION;
     UPDATE table SET id=2 WHERE id=1 
      -- wait

 T1: UPDATE table SET id=2 WHERE id=1 
     -- deadlock in T2

For completeness (and to exclude a potential misunderstanding): the row has to exists, if your table is e.g. empty, you won't get a deadlock.

If you use FOR UPDATE instead, you don't get a deadlock, but T2 keeps waiting until you commit/rollback T1. It has to do with the way locking works, but you can maybe get an idea of that if you add a select to T2:

 T1: START TRANSACTION;
     SELECT * FROM table WHERE id=1 LOCK IN SHARE MODE;

 T2: START TRANSACTION;
     SELECT * FROM table WHERE id=1 LOCK IN SHARE MODE;
     -- fine in shared mode. Waits here if you use `for update`!

 T1: UPDATE table SET id=2 WHERE id=1 
     -- wait

 T2: UPDATE table SET id=2 WHERE id=1 
     -- deadlock

If you replace both LOCK IN SHARE MODE with FOR UPDATE, T2 will wait at/before the select, until T1 commits, without a deadlock.

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3

Is Deadlock Detection enabled?

You can read more here: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/innodb-deadlock-detection.html

A mechanism that automatically detects when a deadlock occurs, and automatically rolls back one of the transactions involved (the victim). Deadlock detection can be disabled using the innodb_deadlock_detect configuration option.

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2 Comments

Yes -- I have it on when I checked settings. If I turn it off, will it convert the timeout errors into deadlock errors?
I changed that setting and it didn't make a difference.
3

Lock another table in another transaction and then try to access other transactions table. For example:

In transaction A lock table 1

In transaction B lock table 2

In transaction A to update table 2

In transaction B to update table 1.

Also, you can increase your timeout to 5 minutes so that while you are creating your deadlock it doesn't timeout.

UPDATE: An example

In session A:

START TRANSACTION;
UPDATE tbl1 SET b=1 WHERE id=1;

in session B:

START TRANSACTION;
UPDATE tbl2 SET b=1 WHERE id=1;

Then

In session A:

UPDATE tbl2 SET b=1 WHERE id=1;

in session B:

UPDATE tbl1 SET b=1 WHERE id=1;
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1 Comment

this seems a bit broad. Could you show an example with real db code or something? I did already try the mysql example, which does what you suggest.

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