YugaByte 2.31.0.0 introduces xCluster verification tools and deprecates a legacy field

YugaByte/yugabyte-db version 2.31.0.0 introduces two new tools for xCluster replication verification: verify_xcluster_slice and verify_xcluster_group. According to the project's GitHub release notes, verify_xcluster_slice compares a single source/target key range at a common xCluster safe time, performing schema checks before and after hashing. Its JSON output differentiates confirmed mismatches from retryable, schema, and infrastructure failures. Verify_xcluster_group automates the discovery and sweeping of tables in a replication group, verifying logical source tablet ranges with row-limit and concurrency controls, while excluding sequence data, vector indexes, and replicated DDLs due to their incompatibility with the hash path.

The release also deprecates the legacy field DEPRECATED_source_master_addresses in GetUniverseReplicationInfoResponsePB, replacing it with structured source_master_addrs as field 7. While older clients will continue to use field 3, newer clients rely on field 7 and will return a clear upgrade error if the target master does not provide it. This change ensures backward compatibility, as the legacy field retains its wire tag and type, and rollback does not affect storage.

Operators should verify whether their environment includes older clients that depend on the legacy field 3. While the deprecation does not impact data persistence, older clients may encounter upgrade errors if the target master lacks the new field 7. Ensuring compatibility across all components before upgrading is critical to avoid disruptions in xCluster replication workflows.