Context

In src/conn/conn_layered.c (~lines 1527-1553), at connection startup WiredTiger calls __wti_layered_get_disagg_checkpoint (which invokes page_log->pl_get_complete_checkpoint_ext)
only when role="leader" and no disaggregated.checkpoint_meta is supplied. Followers without an explicit checkpoint_meta register system table handles but never load a checkpoint,
so plh_get is never driven and wt list / wt dump see nothing from the page server.

Motivation

• We want to open the wt tool as a follower so that it behaves as a read-only conneciton. Opening as a leader leaves the possibility of unwanted writes.
• Finding the checkpoint metadata through the CMS or otherwise can be fiddly.

Examples

Follower repro (no checkpoint pickup, no page reads):

  SLS_PALI_CONFIG='log_id=1,page=(single=http://localhost:20047),kek=(static_base64=xxx=)' \
  wt -h /tmp/wt_pali_follower \                                                                                                                                                                   
     -C 'create,extensions=[.../libwiredtiger_snappy.so,.../libext_pali.so],disaggregated=(page_log="pali",role="follower"),precise_checkpoint=true' \
     list                                                                                                                                                                                         
  

Switching only role to "leader" on the same config successfully picked up the checkpoint and listed the shared tables.