hakmem/docs/status/PHASE2C_BIGCACHE_L25_DYNAMIC.md

Phase 2c: BigCache & L2.5 Pool Dynamic Expansion

Date: 2025-11-08 Priority: 🟡 MEDIUM - Memory efficiency Estimated Effort: 3-5 days Status: Ready for implementation Depends on: Phase 2a, 2b (not blocking, can run in parallel)

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Executive Summary

Problem: BigCache and L2.5 Pool use fixed-size arrays → Hash collisions, contention Solution: Implement dynamic hash tables and shard allocation Expected Result: Better cache hit rate, less contention, more memory efficient

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Part 1: BigCache Dynamic Hash Table

Current Architecture (INEFFICIENT)

File: core/hakmem_bigcache.c

#define BIGCACHE_SIZE 256
#define BIGCACHE_WAYS 8

typedef struct BigCacheEntry {
    void* ptr;
    size_t size;
    uintptr_t site_id;
    // ...
} BigCacheEntry;

// Fixed 2D array!
static BigCacheEntry g_cache[BIGCACHE_SIZE][BIGCACHE_WAYS];

Problems:

1. Hash collisions: 256 slots → high collision rate for large workloads
2. Eviction overhead: When a slot is full, must evict (even if memory available)
3. Wasted capacity: Some slots may be empty while others are full

Proposed Architecture (DYNAMIC)

Hash table with chaining:

typedef struct BigCacheNode {
    void* ptr;
    size_t size;
    uintptr_t site_id;
    struct BigCacheNode* next;  // ← Chain for collisions
    uint64_t timestamp;         // For LRU eviction
} BigCacheNode;

typedef struct BigCacheTable {
    BigCacheNode** buckets;     // Array of bucket heads
    size_t capacity;            // Current number of buckets
    size_t count;               // Total entries in cache
    pthread_rwlock_t lock;      // Protect resizing
} BigCacheTable;

static BigCacheTable g_bigcache;

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Redesign BigCache Structure (2-3 hours)

File: core/hakmem_bigcache.c

// New hash table structure
typedef struct BigCacheNode {
    void* ptr;
    size_t size;
    uintptr_t site_id;
    struct BigCacheNode* next;  // Collision chain
    uint64_t timestamp;         // LRU tracking
    uint64_t access_count;      // Hit count for stats
} BigCacheNode;

typedef struct BigCacheTable {
    BigCacheNode** buckets;     // Dynamic array of buckets
    size_t capacity;            // Number of buckets (power of 2)
    size_t count;               // Total cached entries
    size_t max_count;           // Maximum entries before resize
    pthread_rwlock_t lock;      // Protect table resizing
} BigCacheTable;

static BigCacheTable g_bigcache;

// Configuration
#define BIGCACHE_INITIAL_CAPACITY 256   // Start with 256 buckets
#define BIGCACHE_MAX_CAPACITY 65536     // Max 64K buckets
#define BIGCACHE_LOAD_FACTOR 0.75       // Resize at 75% load

Task 2: Implement Hash Table Operations (3-4 hours)

// Initialize BigCache
void hak_bigcache_init(void) {
    g_bigcache.capacity = BIGCACHE_INITIAL_CAPACITY;
    g_bigcache.count = 0;
    g_bigcache.max_count = g_bigcache.capacity * BIGCACHE_LOAD_FACTOR;
    g_bigcache.buckets = calloc(g_bigcache.capacity, sizeof(BigCacheNode*));
    pthread_rwlock_init(&g_bigcache.lock, NULL);
}

// Hash function (simple but effective)
static inline size_t bigcache_hash(size_t size, uintptr_t site_id, size_t capacity) {
    uint64_t hash = size ^ site_id;
    hash ^= (hash >> 16);
    hash *= 0x85ebca6b;
    hash ^= (hash >> 13);
    return hash & (capacity - 1);  // Assumes capacity is power of 2
}

// Insert into BigCache
int hak_bigcache_put(void* ptr, size_t size, uintptr_t site_id) {
    pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&g_bigcache.lock);

    // Check if resize needed
    if (g_bigcache.count >= g_bigcache.max_count) {
        pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
        resize_bigcache();
        pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
    }

    // Hash to bucket
    size_t bucket_idx = bigcache_hash(size, site_id, g_bigcache.capacity);
    BigCacheNode** bucket = &g_bigcache.buckets[bucket_idx];

    // Create new node
    BigCacheNode* node = malloc(sizeof(BigCacheNode));
    node->ptr = ptr;
    node->size = size;
    node->site_id = site_id;
    node->timestamp = get_timestamp_ns();
    node->access_count = 0;

    // Insert at head (most recent)
    node->next = *bucket;
    *bucket = node;

    g_bigcache.count++;
    pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);

    return 0;
}

// Lookup in BigCache
int hak_bigcache_try_get(size_t size, uintptr_t site_id, void** out_ptr) {
    pthread_rwlock_rdlock(&g_bigcache.lock);

    size_t bucket_idx = bigcache_hash(size, site_id, g_bigcache.capacity);
    BigCacheNode** bucket = &g_bigcache.buckets[bucket_idx];

    // Search chain
    BigCacheNode** prev = bucket;
    BigCacheNode* node = *bucket;

    while (node) {
        if (node->size == size && node->site_id == site_id) {
            // Found match!
            *out_ptr = node->ptr;

            // Remove from cache
            *prev = node->next;
            free(node);
            g_bigcache.count--;

            pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
            return 1;  // Cache hit
        }

        prev = &node->next;
        node = node->next;
    }

    pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
    return 0;  // Cache miss
}

Task 3: Implement Resize Logic (2-3 hours)

// Resize BigCache hash table (2x capacity)
static void resize_bigcache(void) {
    pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&g_bigcache.lock);

    size_t old_capacity = g_bigcache.capacity;
    size_t new_capacity = old_capacity * 2;

    if (new_capacity > BIGCACHE_MAX_CAPACITY) {
        new_capacity = BIGCACHE_MAX_CAPACITY;
    }

    if (new_capacity == old_capacity) {
        pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
        return;  // Already at max
    }

    // Allocate new buckets
    BigCacheNode** new_buckets = calloc(new_capacity, sizeof(BigCacheNode*));
    if (!new_buckets) {
        fprintf(stderr, "[BIGCACHE] Failed to resize: malloc failed\n");
        pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
        return;
    }

    // Rehash all entries
    for (size_t i = 0; i < old_capacity; i++) {
        BigCacheNode* node = g_bigcache.buckets[i];

        while (node) {
            BigCacheNode* next = node->next;

            // Rehash to new bucket
            size_t new_bucket_idx = bigcache_hash(node->size, node->site_id, new_capacity);
            node->next = new_buckets[new_bucket_idx];
            new_buckets[new_bucket_idx] = node;

            node = next;
        }
    }

    // Replace old buckets
    free(g_bigcache.buckets);
    g_bigcache.buckets = new_buckets;
    g_bigcache.capacity = new_capacity;
    g_bigcache.max_count = new_capacity * BIGCACHE_LOAD_FACTOR;

    fprintf(stderr, "[BIGCACHE] Resized: %zu → %zu buckets (%zu entries)\n",
            old_capacity, new_capacity, g_bigcache.count);

    pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_bigcache.lock);
}

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Part 2: L2.5 Pool Dynamic Sharding

Current Architecture (CONTENTION)

File: core/hakmem_l25_pool.c

#define L25_NUM_SHARDS 64  // Fixed 64 shards

typedef struct L25Shard {
    void* freelist[MAX_SIZE_CLASSES];
    pthread_mutex_t lock;
} L25Shard;

static L25Shard g_l25_shards[L25_NUM_SHARDS];  // Fixed array

Problems:

1. Fixed 64 shards: High contention in multi-threaded workloads
2. Load imbalance: Some shards may be hot, others cold

Proposed Architecture (DYNAMIC)

typedef struct L25ShardRegistry {
    L25Shard** shards;          // Dynamic array of shards
    size_t num_shards;          // Current number of shards
    pthread_rwlock_t lock;      // Protect shard array expansion
} L25ShardRegistry;

static L25ShardRegistry g_l25_registry;

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Redesign L2.5 Shard Structure (1-2 hours)

File: core/hakmem_l25_pool.c

typedef struct L25Shard {
    void* freelist[MAX_SIZE_CLASSES];
    pthread_mutex_t lock;
    size_t allocation_count;    // Track load
} L25Shard;

typedef struct L25ShardRegistry {
    L25Shard** shards;          // Dynamic array
    size_t num_shards;          // Current count
    size_t max_shards;          // Max shards (e.g., 1024)
    pthread_rwlock_t lock;      // Protect expansion
} L25ShardRegistry;

static L25ShardRegistry g_l25_registry;

#define L25_INITIAL_SHARDS 64    // Start with 64
#define L25_MAX_SHARDS 1024      // Max 1024 shards

Task 2: Implement Dynamic Shard Allocation (2-3 hours)

// Initialize L2.5 Pool
void hak_l25_pool_init(void) {
    g_l25_registry.num_shards = L25_INITIAL_SHARDS;
    g_l25_registry.max_shards = L25_MAX_SHARDS;
    g_l25_registry.shards = calloc(L25_INITIAL_SHARDS, sizeof(L25Shard*));
    pthread_rwlock_init(&g_l25_registry.lock, NULL);

    // Allocate initial shards
    for (size_t i = 0; i < L25_INITIAL_SHARDS; i++) {
        g_l25_registry.shards[i] = alloc_l25_shard();
    }
}

// Allocate a new shard
static L25Shard* alloc_l25_shard(void) {
    L25Shard* shard = calloc(1, sizeof(L25Shard));
    pthread_mutex_init(&shard->lock, NULL);
    shard->allocation_count = 0;

    for (int i = 0; i < MAX_SIZE_CLASSES; i++) {
        shard->freelist[i] = NULL;
    }

    return shard;
}

// Expand shard array (2x)
static int expand_l25_shards(void) {
    pthread_rwlock_wrlock(&g_l25_registry.lock);

    size_t old_num = g_l25_registry.num_shards;
    size_t new_num = old_num * 2;

    if (new_num > g_l25_registry.max_shards) {
        new_num = g_l25_registry.max_shards;
    }

    if (new_num == old_num) {
        pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_l25_registry.lock);
        return -1;  // Already at max
    }

    // Reallocate shard array
    L25Shard** new_shards = realloc(g_l25_registry.shards, new_num * sizeof(L25Shard*));
    if (!new_shards) {
        pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_l25_registry.lock);
        return -1;
    }

    // Allocate new shards
    for (size_t i = old_num; i < new_num; i++) {
        new_shards[i] = alloc_l25_shard();
    }

    g_l25_registry.shards = new_shards;
    g_l25_registry.num_shards = new_num;

    fprintf(stderr, "[L2.5_POOL] Expanded shards: %zu → %zu\n", old_num, new_num);

    pthread_rwlock_unlock(&g_l25_registry.lock);
    return 0;
}

Task 3: Contention-Based Expansion (2-3 hours)

// Detect high contention and expand shards
static void check_l25_contention(void) {
    static uint64_t last_check_time = 0;
    uint64_t now = get_timestamp_ns();

    // Check every 5 seconds
    if (now - last_check_time < 5000000000ULL) {
        return;
    }

    last_check_time = now;

    // Calculate average load per shard
    size_t total_load = 0;
    for (size_t i = 0; i < g_l25_registry.num_shards; i++) {
        total_load += g_l25_registry.shards[i]->allocation_count;
    }

    size_t avg_load = total_load / g_l25_registry.num_shards;

    // If average load is high, expand
    if (avg_load > 1000) {  // Threshold: 1000 allocations per shard
        fprintf(stderr, "[L2.5_POOL] High load detected (avg=%zu), expanding shards\n", avg_load);
        expand_l25_shards();

        // Reset counters
        for (size_t i = 0; i < g_l25_registry.num_shards; i++) {
            g_l25_registry.shards[i]->allocation_count = 0;
        }
    }
}

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Testing Strategy

Test 1: BigCache Resize Verification

# Enable debug logging
HAKMEM_LOG=1 ./larson_hakmem 10 8 128 1024 1 12345 4 2>&1 | grep "BIGCACHE"

# Should see:
# [BIGCACHE] Resized: 256 → 512 buckets (450 entries)
# [BIGCACHE] Resized: 512 → 1024 buckets (900 entries)

Test 2: L2.5 Shard Expansion

HAKMEM_LOG=1 ./larson_hakmem 10 8 128 1024 1 12345 4 2>&1 | grep "L2.5_POOL"

# Should see:
# [L2.5_POOL] Expanded shards: 64 → 128

Test 3: Cache Hit Rate Improvement

# Before (fixed)
# BigCache hit rate: ~60%

# After (dynamic)
# BigCache hit rate: ~75% (fewer evictions)

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Success Criteria

✅ BigCache resizes: Logs show 256 → 512 → 1024 buckets ✅ L2.5 expands: Logs show 64 → 128 → 256 shards ✅ Cache hit rate: +10-20% improvement ✅ No memory leaks: Valgrind clean ✅ Thread safety: No data races (TSan clean)

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Deliverable

Report file: /mnt/workdisk/public_share/hakmem/PHASE2C_IMPLEMENTATION_REPORT.md

Required sections:

1. BigCache resize behavior (logs, hit rate improvement)
2. L2.5 shard expansion (logs, contention reduction)
3. Performance comparison (before/after)
4. Memory usage (overhead analysis)
5. Production readiness (YES/NO verdict)

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Let's make BigCache and L2.5 dynamic! 📈