GemFire entry Time-To-Live is not getting set using spring-cache

Question

Following is the code snippet which is successful in persisting the data in a remote GemFire cluster and successfully keeping local spring-cache updated. However, the entries are not getting DESTROY-ed as expected when I tried using ExpirationAttributes. I've referred to this and related links.

import org.springframework.data.gemfire.ExpirationActionType;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.RegionAttributesFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.client.ClientCacheFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.client.ClientRegionFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.support.ConnectionEndpoint;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.support.GemfireCacheManager;

import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.ExpirationAttributes;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.RegionAttributes;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.client.ClientCache;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.cache.client.ClientRegionShortcut;
import com.gemstone.gemfire.pdx.ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer;

@Configuration
@Profile("local")
public class GemFireCachingConfig {

    @Bean
    Properties gemfireProperties(...) {

        //Sets gemfire properties and return
        return gemfireProperties;
    }

    @Bean
    @Primary
    ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer reflectionBasedAutoSerializer() {
        return new ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer("pkg.containing.cacheable.object");
    }

    @Bean
    @Primary
    ClientCacheFactoryBean clientCacheFactory(String injectedGemFirehost,
            int injectedGemfirePort, Properties gemfireProperties,
            ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer reflectionBasedAutoSerializer) {

        ClientCacheFactoryBean cachefactoryBean = new ClientCacheFactoryBean();
        cachefactoryBean.setProperties(gemfireProperties);
        cachefactoryBean.setClose(true);
        cachefactoryBean.setPdxSerializer(reflectionBasedAutoSerializer);
        cachefactoryBean.setPdxReadSerialized(false);
        cachefactoryBean.setPdxIgnoreUnreadFields(true);
        
        ConnectionEndpoint[] locators = new ConnectionEndpoint[1];
        locators[0] = new ConnectionEndpoint(injectedGemFirehost, injectedGemfirePort);
        cachefactoryBean.setLocators(locators);
        
        return cachefactoryBean;
                
    }


    @Bean
    public ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean entryTtlExpirationAttributes(
            int injectedTimeoutInSecs) {

        ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean expirationAttributes = new ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean();

        expirationAttributes.setAction(ExpirationActionType.DESTROY.getExpirationAction());
        expirationAttributes.setTimeout(injectedTimeoutInSecs);

        return expirationAttributes;
    }

    @Bean
    @Autowired
    public RegionAttributesFactoryBean regionAttributes(
            @Qualifier("entryTtlExpirationAttributes") ExpirationAttributes entryTtl) {

        RegionAttributesFactoryBean regionAttributes = new RegionAttributesFactoryBean();
        regionAttributes.setStatisticsEnabled(true);
        regionAttributes.setEntryTimeToLive(entryTtl);

        return regionAttributes;
    }

    @Bean
    @Primary
    ClientRegionFactoryBean<String, Object> regionFactoryBean(ClientCache gemfireCache,
            @Qualifier("regionAttributes") RegionAttributes<String, Object> regionAttributes) {

        ClientRegionFactoryBean<String, Object> regionFactoryBean = new ClientRegionFactoryBean<>();

        regionFactoryBean.setAttributes(regionAttributes);
        regionFactoryBean.setCache(gemfireCache);
        regionFactoryBean.setClose(false);
        regionFactoryBean.setPersistent(false);
        regionFactoryBean.setRegionName(regionName);
        regionFactoryBean.setShortcut(ClientRegionShortcut.CACHING_PROXY_HEAP_LRU);

        return regionFactoryBean;
    }

    @Bean
    GemfireCacheManager cacheManager(ClientCache gemfireCache) {
        GemfireCacheManager cacheManager = new GemfireCacheManager();
        cacheManager.setCache(gemfireCache);

        return cacheManager;
    }

}

Answer 1

Just curious how you think the injectedTimeoutInSeconds is "injected" into your entryTtlExpirationAttributes bean definition in your Spring config; this...

@Bean
public ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean entryTtlExpirationAttributes(
        int injectedTimeoutInSecs) {

    ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean expirationAttributes = 
        new ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean();

    expirationAttributes.setAction(
        ExpirationActionType.DESTROY.getExpirationAction());
    expirationAttributes.setTimeout(injectedTimeoutInSecs);

    return expirationAttributes;
}

You need to annotate your entryTtlExpirationAttributes bean definition method parameter (i.e. injectedTimeoutInSecs) with Spring's @Value annotation, like so...

@Bean
public ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean entryTtlExpirationAttributes(
        @Value("${gemfire.cache.expiration.ttl.timeout:600}") 
            int injectedTimeoutInSecs) {

Then, in your Spring Boot application.properties file, you can set a value for the property (gemfire.cache.expiration.ttl.timeout)...

#application.properties
gemfire.cache.expiration.ttl.timeout = 300

The @Value annotation can supply a default if the property is not explicitly set...

@Value({${property:defaultValue}")

Additionally, you need to supply a propertySourcePlaceholderConfigurer bean definition in your Spring Java config to enable Spring to "replace" property placeholder values...

@Bean
static PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer propertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer() {
    return new PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer();
}

You can see a similar configuration to what you have above here.

Finally, you can simplify your entire Spring, GemFire Java configuration class to this...

import java.util.Collections;

import org.apache.geode.cache.ExpirationAttributes;
import org.apache.geode.cache.GemFireCache;
import org.apache.geode.cache.RegionAttributes;
import org.apache.geode.cache.client.ClientRegionShortcut;
import org.apache.geode.pdx.ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Qualifier;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Value;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Primary;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Profile;
import org.springframework.context.support.PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.RegionAttributesFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.cache.config.EnableGemfireCaching;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.client.ClientRegionFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.config.annotation.ClientCacheApplication;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.config.annotation.ClientCacheConfigurer;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.config.annotation.EnablePdx;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.expiration.ExpirationActionType;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.expiration.ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean;
import org.springframework.data.gemfire.support.ConnectionEndpoint;

@ClientCacheApplication
@EnableGemfireCaching
@EnablePdx(ignoreUnreadFields = true, readSerialized = false,
  serializerBeanName = "reflectionBasedAutoSerializer")
@Profile("local")
public class GemFireCachingConfig {

  @Bean
  static PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer propertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer() {
    return new PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer();
  }

  // NOTE: you can externalize Pivotal GemFire properties in a gemfire.properties file, 
  // placed in the root of your application classpath.
  // 
  // Alternatively, you can use Spring Boot's application.properties to set GemFire properties
  // using the corresponding Spring Data GemFire (annotation-based) property (e.g. spring.data.gemfire.cache.log-level)
  //
  // See here...
  // https://docs.spring.io/spring-data/gemfire/docs/current/api/org/springframework/data/gemfire/config/annotation/ClientCacheApplication.html#logLevel--

  @Bean
  @Primary
  ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer reflectionBasedAutoSerializer() {
    return new ReflectionBasedAutoSerializer("pkg.containing.cacheable.object");
  }

  @Bean
  ClientCacheConfigurer clientCacheHostPortConfigurer(
      @Value("gemfire.locator.host") String locatorHost,
      @Value("gemfire.locator.port") int locatorPort) {

    return (beanName, clientCacheFactoryBean) ->
      clientCacheFactoryBean.setLocators(Collections.singletonList(
        new ConnectionEndpoint(locatorHost, locatorPort)));
  }

  @Bean("RegionNameHere")
  ClientRegionFactoryBean<String, Object> regionFactoryBean(GemFireCache gemfireCache,
      @Qualifier("regionAttributes") RegionAttributes<String, Object> regionAttributes) {

    ClientRegionFactoryBean<String, Object> clientRegionFactory = new ClientRegionFactoryBean<>();

    clientRegionFactory.setAttributes(regionAttributes);
    clientRegionFactory.setCache(gemfireCache);
    clientRegionFactory.setClose(false);
    clientRegionFactory.setShortcut(ClientRegionShortcut.CACHING_PROXY_HEAP_LRU);

    return clientRegionFactory;
  }

  @Bean
  public RegionAttributesFactoryBean regionAttributes(
      @Qualifier("entryTtlExpirationAttributes") ExpirationAttributes expirationAttributes) {

    RegionAttributesFactoryBean regionAttributes = new RegionAttributesFactoryBean();

    regionAttributes.setStatisticsEnabled(true);
    regionAttributes.setEntryTimeToLive(expirationAttributes);

    return regionAttributes;
  }

  @Bean
  public ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean entryTtlExpirationAttributes(
      @Value("${gemfire.cache.expiration:600") int timeoutInSeconds) {

    ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean expirationAttributes = new ExpirationAttributesFactoryBean();

    expirationAttributes.setAction(ExpirationActionType.DESTROY.getExpirationAction());
    expirationAttributes.setTimeout(timeoutInSeconds);

    return expirationAttributes;
  }
}

Of course, this configuration is based on Spring Data GemFire 2.0.1.RELEASE (Kay-SR1).

• Notice the @ClientCacheApplication annotation, which replaces the need for your clientCacheFactory bean definition.

• I also used the new @EnablePdx annotation to configure GemFire's PDX serialization behavior.

• I declared a ClientCacheConfigurer typed bean definition (clientCacheHostPortConfigurer) to dynamically adjust the Locator host and port configuration based on property placeholders.

• I defined a PropertySourcesPlaceholderConfigurer to handle the property placeholders used in the @Value annotations throughout the Spring, Java-based configuration meta-data.

• I also used the new @EnableGemfireCaching annotation which replaces the need to explicitly define a gemfireCacheManager bean definition. It also enables Spring's Cache Abstraction (specifying @EnableCaching for you).

Anyway, SDG's new Annotation-based configuration model makes it easier to do everything. But again, you need to be using Spring Data GemFire 2.0+ (SD Kay) with Pivotal GemFire 9.1.x.

Hope this helps!

-John