Stop getting missing prev_events after we already know their signature is invalid

changelog.d/13816.feature

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Stop fetching missing `prev_events` after we already know their signature is invalid.

synapse/api/errors.py

@@ -640,6 +640,27 @@ def get_dict(self) -> "JsonDict":
         }
 
 
+class FederationPullAttemptBackoffError(RuntimeError):
+    """
+    Raised to indicate that we are are deliberately not attempting to pull the given
+    event over federation because we've already done so recently and are backing off.
+
+    Attributes:
+        event_id: The event_id which we are refusing to pull
+        message: A custom error message that gives more context
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, event_ids: List[str], message: Optional[str]):
+        self.event_ids = event_ids
+
+        if message:
+            error_message = message
+        else:
+            error_message = f"Not attempting to pull event_ids={self.event_ids} because we already tried to pull them recently (backing off)."
+
+        super().__init__(error_message)
+
+
 class HttpResponseException(CodeMessageException):
     """
     Represents an HTTP-level failure of an outbound request

synapse/handlers/federation.py

@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
     Codes,
     FederationDeniedError,
     FederationError,
+    FederationPullAttemptBackoffError,
     HttpResponseException,
     LimitExceededError,
     NotFoundError,
@@ -1720,7 +1721,22 @@ async def _sync_partial_state_room(
                             destination, event
                         )
                         break
+                    except FederationPullAttemptBackoffError as exc:
+                        # Log a warning about why we failed to process the event (the error message
+                        # for `FederationPullAttemptBackoffError` is pretty good)
+                        logger.warning("_sync_partial_state_room: " + str(exc))
+                        # We do not record a failed pull attempt when we backoff fetching a missing
+                        # `prev_event` because not being able to fetch the `prev_events` just means
+                        # we won't be able to de-outlier the pulled event. But we can still use an
+                        # `outlier` in the state/auth chain for another event. So we shouldn't stop
+                        # a downstream event from trying to pull it.
+                        #
+                        # This avoids a cascade of backoff for all events in the DAG downstream from
+                        # one event backoff upstream.
                     except FederationError as e:
+                        # TODO: We should `record_event_failed_pull_attempt` here,
+                        #   see https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/issues/13700
+
                         if attempt == len(destinations) - 1:
                             # We have tried every remote server for this event. Give up.
                             # TODO(faster_joins) giving up isn't the right thing to do

synapse/handlers/federation_event.py

@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
     AuthError,
     Codes,
     FederationError,
+    FederationPullAttemptBackoffError,
     HttpResponseException,
     RequestSendFailed,
     SynapseError,
@@ -565,6 +566,9 @@ async def update_state_for_partial_state_event(
             event: partial-state event to be de-partial-stated
 
         Raises:
+            FederationPullAttemptBackoffError if we are are deliberately not attempting
+                to pull the given event over federation because we've already done so
+                recently and are backing off.
             FederationError if we fail to request state from the remote server.
         """
         logger.info("Updating state for %s", event.event_id)
@@ -899,6 +903,18 @@ async def _process_pulled_event(
                     context,
                     backfilled=backfilled,
                 )
+        except FederationPullAttemptBackoffError as exc:
+            # Log a warning about why we failed to process the event (the error message
+            # for `FederationPullAttemptBackoffError` is pretty good)
+            logger.warning("_process_pulled_event: " + str(exc))
+            # We do not record a failed pull attempt when we backoff fetching a missing
+            # `prev_event` because not being able to fetch the `prev_events` just means
+            # we won't be able to de-outlier the pulled event. But we can still use an
+            # `outlier` in the state/auth chain for another event. So we shouldn't stop
+            # a downstream event from trying to pull it.
+            #
+            # This avoids a cascade of backoff for all events in the DAG downstream from
+            # one event backoff upstream.
         except FederationError as e:
             await self._store.record_event_failed_pull_attempt(
                 event.room_id, event_id, str(e)
@@ -945,6 +961,9 @@ async def _compute_event_context_with_maybe_missing_prevs(
             The event context.
 
         Raises:
+            FederationPullAttemptBackoffError if we are are deliberately not attempting
+                to pull the given event over federation because we've already done so
+                recently and are backing off.
             FederationError if we fail to get the state from the remote server after any
                 missing `prev_event`s.
         """
@@ -955,6 +974,18 @@ async def _compute_event_context_with_maybe_missing_prevs(
         seen = await self._store.have_events_in_timeline(prevs)
         missing_prevs = prevs - seen
 
+        # If we've already recently attempted to pull this missing event, don't
+        # try it again so soon. Since we have to fetch all of the prev_events, we can
+        # bail early here if we find any to ignore.
+        prevs_to_ignore = await self._store.get_event_ids_to_not_pull_from_backoff(
+            room_id, missing_prevs
+        )
+        if len(prevs_to_ignore) > 0:
+            raise FederationPullAttemptBackoffError(
+                event_ids=prevs_to_ignore,
+                message=f"While computing context for event={event_id}, not attempting to pull missing prev_event={prevs_to_ignore[0]} because we already tried to pull recently (backing off).",
+            )
+
         if not missing_prevs:
             return await self._state_handler.compute_event_context(event)
 

synapse/storage/databases/main/event_federation.py

@@ -1501,6 +1501,12 @@ async def record_event_failed_pull_attempt(
             event_id: The event that failed to be fetched or processed
             cause: The error message or reason that we failed to pull the event
         """
+        logger.debug(
+            "record_event_failed_pull_attempt room_id=%s, event_id=%s, cause=%s",
+            room_id,
+            event_id,
+            cause,
+        )
         await self.db_pool.runInteraction(
             "record_event_failed_pull_attempt",
             self._record_event_failed_pull_attempt_upsert_txn,
@@ -1530,6 +1536,54 @@ def _record_event_failed_pull_attempt_upsert_txn(
 
         txn.execute(sql, (room_id, event_id, 1, self._clock.time_msec(), cause))
 
+    @trace
+    async def get_event_ids_to_not_pull_from_backoff(
+        self,
+        room_id: str,
+        event_ids: Collection[str],
+    ) -> List[str]:
+        """
+        Filter down the events to ones that we've failed to pull before recently. Uses
+        exponential backoff.
+
+        Args:
+            room_id: The room that the events belong to
+            event_ids: A list of events to filter down
+
+        Returns:
+            List of event_ids that should not be attempted to be pulled
+        """
+        event_failed_pull_attempts = await self.db_pool.simple_select_many_batch(
+            table="event_failed_pull_attempts",
+            column="event_id",
+            iterable=event_ids,
+            keyvalues={},
+            retcols=(
+                "event_id",
+                "last_attempt_ts",
+                "num_attempts",
+            ),
+            desc="get_event_ids_to_not_pull_from_backoff",
+        )
+
+        current_time = self._clock.time_msec()
+        return [
+            event_failed_pull_attempt["event_id"]
+            for event_failed_pull_attempt in event_failed_pull_attempts
+            # Exponential back-off (up to the upper bound) so we don't try to
+            # pull the same event over and over. ex. 2hr, 4hr, 8hr, 16hr, etc.
+            if current_time
+            < event_failed_pull_attempt["last_attempt_ts"]
+            + (
+                2
+                ** min(
+                    event_failed_pull_attempt["num_attempts"],
+                    BACKFILL_EVENT_EXPONENTIAL_BACKOFF_MAXIMUM_DOUBLING_STEPS,
+                )
+            )
+            * BACKFILL_EVENT_EXPONENTIAL_BACKOFF_STEP_MILLISECONDS
+        ]
+
     async def get_missing_events(
         self,
         room_id: str,