service.go

package pserver

import (
	"errors"
	"fmt"
	"sync"
)

// ElementType is the type of elements of a Parameter.
type ElementType int

var ErrAlreadyInitialized = errors.New("pserver already initialized")
var ErrUninitialized = errors.New("pserver not fully initialized")

// Supported element types
const (
	Int32 ElementType = iota
	UInt32
	Int64
	UInt64
	Float32
	Float64
)

// Parameter is a piece of data to sync with the parameter server.
type Parameter struct {
	Name        string
	ElementType ElementType
	Content     []byte
}

// ParameterWithConfig contains the parameter and the configuration.
type ParameterWithConfig struct {
	Param  Parameter
	Config []byte // parameter configuration in Proto Buffer format
}

// Gradient is the gradient of the parameter.
type Gradient Parameter

// Service is the RPC service for pserver.
type Service struct {
	initialized chan struct{}

	mu       sync.Mutex
	opt      *optimizer
	paramMap map[string]Parameter
}

// NewService creates a new service.
func NewService() *Service {
	s := &Service{opt: newOptimizer(sgd, 0.005)}
	s.paramMap = make(map[string]Parameter)
	s.initialized = make(chan struct{})
	return s
}

// InitParam initializes a parameter.
func (s *Service) InitParam(paramWithConfigs ParameterWithConfig, dummy *int) error {
	select {
	case <-s.initialized:
		return ErrAlreadyInitialized
	default:
	}

	// TODO(helin): parse parameter config

	s.mu.Lock()
	defer s.mu.Unlock()

	// TODO(helin): check if paramWithConfigs.Param.Content is
	// properly memory aligned, if not, make copy to a memory
	// aligned region.
	s.paramMap[paramWithConfigs.Param.Name] = paramWithConfigs.Param
	return nil
}

// FinishInitParams tells the parameter server that the parameter
// initialization has finished.
func (s *Service) FinishInitParams(dummy0 int, dummy1 *int) error {
	select {
	case <-s.initialized:
		return ErrAlreadyInitialized
	default:
	}

	close(s.initialized)
	return nil
}

// SendGrad sends gradient to parameter servers for parameter
// optimization.
func (s *Service) SendGrad(g Gradient, dummy *int) error {
	select {
	case <-s.initialized:
	default:
		return ErrUninitialized
	}

	s.mu.Lock()
	defer s.mu.Unlock()

	p, ok := s.paramMap[g.Name]
	if !ok {
		return fmt.Errorf("parameter: %s does not exist", g.Name)
	}

	return s.opt.UpdateParameter(p, g)
}

// GetParam gets parameters from the parameter server.
func (s *Service) GetParam(name string, parameter *Parameter) error {
	<-s.initialized
	s.mu.Lock()
	defer s.mu.Unlock()

	p, ok := s.paramMap[name]
	if !ok {
		return fmt.Errorf("parameter: %s does not exist", name)
	}

	// The parameter content (a byte slice) may change
	// during RPC serialization due to write from other
	// goroutine, we allow it since mini-batch based deep
	// learning optimization methods are stochastic in
	// nature. This race condition is allowed deliberately
	// to save the program from making a copy of the
	// paramter content.
	*parameter = p
	return nil
}

// Save tells the parameter server to save parameters.
func (s *Service) Save(path string, dummy *int) error {
	<-s.initialized

	// TODO
	return nil
}