# Routing & Migration Policy: Design Log

This file is the active reference for the routing policy. It supersedes the
"single argmin + PUSH migration" framing once described as the final design
(see commit notes below and `REPORT.md` §3.9 errata).

## Current Algorithm: Hybrid LMetric + High-Cache Affinity

Implemented in `255c8e6`. Active under `--policy unified` in
`scripts/cache_aware_proxy.py`.

```python
# Step 1: affinity gate (only for sessions that have a recorded owner)
if session has affinity instance:
    cache_ratio = cache_hit_on_affinity / input_length
    gate_1: cache_ratio > 0.5
    gate_2: affinity.num_requests <= avg_num_requests * overload_factor
    if gate_1 AND gate_2:
        decision = "affinity"
        return affinity_instance

# Step 2: LMetric fallback with deterministic tie-breaker
for each instance i:
    score_i = (pending_prefill_tokens_i + new_uncached_tokens_i) * num_requests_i
            = P_tokens * BS                                     # primary
secondary key: new_uncached_tokens                              # prefer cache
tertiary key:  num_requests                                     # prefer idle
quaternary:    round-robin counter % n                          # break ties
return argmin
```

The pure `--policy lmetric` baseline stays affinity-free; the hybrid lives
entirely under `--policy unified`. The round-robin counter is required because
`P_tokens * BS = 0` whenever `BS = 0` for all instances (new sessions, cold
start), which would otherwise pin every fresh session to instance 0.

Parameters: `overload_factor=2.0` (default). The previously-introduced
`decode_iteration_s` / `prefill_throughput` / `rdma_overhead_s` are kept in
`Settings` but no longer drive routing — they were Approach-A inputs.

### Why this shape

- **LMetric for load balance**: `P_tokens × BS` is hyperparameter-free and
  captures both pending prefill work and current batch contention.
- **Implicit soft affinity from LMetric itself**: `P_tokens` includes
  `new_uncached_tokens = input - cache_hit`. Later turns naturally prefer
  the instance that already cached the prefix, because their `P_tokens` are
  smaller there. This is the dominant reason explicit migration buys little.
- **Explicit affinity only for the long-cache case**: when cache_ratio > 0.5,
  the placement cost of breaking sticky is large enough to justify a hard
  gate. Below that ratio, defer to LMetric.

## What Was Retired and Why

| Commit | Approach | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| `6b255fa` | Single `argmin(queue+prefill+transfer)` over local/PUSH/cold | Initial design; numbers in REPORT §3.9 |
| `5892739` | Soft affinity added (pure argmin overloaded cache owners) | Stabilized but tail still degraded |
| `2b9eae0` | Reported Unified v3 (116 PUSH migrations) | TTFT -25%/-32%, **E2E p90 +12%, p99 +24%** |
| `e991960`/`5772149` | Forced session migration triggers (Approach B) | 57 migrations, **HEAVY TTFT p90 15.9s → 59.1s** |
| `cc6e562` | Revert Approach B | "overhead exceeds LB benefit" |
| `bf4469a` | Tighter push_cost + aligned hard gate | Triggered too few migrations to recover |
| `4c583f2` | Revert relaxed gate | 134 offloads, **E2E p90 37s → 82s** |
| `255c8e6` | **Current** hybrid LMetric + high-cache affinity | Stable baseline |

The shared lesson across the retired variants: PD-sep offload pays
`C_queue + C_prefill + RDMA + D_schedule + D_decode_start` and the saved
prefill time on D rarely amortizes this — especially because 92% of HEAVY
requests are turn-1 cold (no source-side cache to migrate). See
`analysis/elastic_hypotheses.md` H3-H9 for the per-variant evidence.

## Historical Baseline-Mode Comparison (Approach A)

These numbers are from the additive-cost-model variant of Unified routing
(before `255c8e6`). Kept for reference; the hybrid currently lives on top of
LMetric, not on this additive cost. The "Unified" column should not be cited
as the current implementation.

| Metric | LMetric | Unified (Approach A, historical) | Change |
|--------|---------|----------------------------------|--------|
| E2E mean | 18.204 | 17.831 | -2.0% |
| E2E p50 | 6.184 | 6.074 | -1.8% |
| E2E p90 | 39.438 | 37.073 | -6.0% |
| TTFT p90 | 9.331 | 8.034 | -13.9% |
| Errors | 0 | 0 | — |

Approach A (additive cost model, historical):

```python
cost(instance_i) = num_requests_i × decode_iteration_s     # contention
                 + pending_prefill_tokens_i / throughput     # prefill queue
                 + max(0, input - cache_hit_i) / throughput  # new prefill
if affinity instance exists:
    gate 1: ongoing_tokens <= avg * overload_factor
    gate 2: affinity_cost <= global_best * overload_factor
    if both pass → affinity
    else        → global best
```

Reason for retirement: the additive cost was load-bearing on
`decode_iteration_s` and `prefill_throughput` constants. LMetric reproduces
the same ordering without those constants because `P_tokens` and `BS` already
capture both prefill queue and batch contention. The hybrid keeps the cheap
LMetric core and adds an explicit affinity gate only for high-cache cases.

### Evolution Table (historical)

| Version | Description | ALL TTFT p90 | ALL E2E p90 | tok max/min |
|---------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| Baseline | linear routing | 16.058 | 52.292 | 2.7x |
| LMetric | P×BS, no affinity | 9.331 | 39.438 | 2.4x |
| v2 (bug) | unified, queue=prefill only | 23.339 | 66.307 | 10.3x |
| v3 | +decode in queue, +hard gate | 10.121 | 42.393 | 2.6x |
| A (elastic) | +num_requests contention | 7.638 | 39.044 | 3.5x |
| A (baseline, Approach A) | same routing, no Mooncake | 8.034 | 37.073 | — |
| **Hybrid (current)** | **LMetric + high-cache affinity** | **see §8 re-run** | **see §8 re-run** | **—** |

The current Hybrid row deliberately has no number: per
`analysis/unified_routing_fix_review.md` #8, the small (≤2%) improvements
need 3-5 paired multi-run trials before being quoted.

## Open Questions / Next Steps

- **#8 paired multi-run**: 3-5 fresh trials of LMetric vs current hybrid on
  identical trace + restart procedure, with full artifact bundle
  (`config.json`, `metrics.jsonl`, `metrics.summary.json`, `breakdown.json`,
  `gpu_util.csv`, per-instance APC snapshot, git commit hash).
- **#10 production-concurrency track**: re-introduce a controlled-concurrency
  flag (`--max-inflight-sessions` or equivalent) and rerun the comparison at
  64 / 128 active sessions before drawing conclusions for production.
- **Hard affinity ceiling for the edge case where cache_ratio = 1.0 and the
  affinity instance is overloaded**: in that scenario the LMetric fallback's
  tie-breaker re-elects the same instance because its `new_uncached_tokens`
  is 0. Either add a hard num_requests ceiling or accept the behavior. Open
  in the test `test_hybrid_high_cache_breaks_on_overload` (works only when
  the request has at least one uncached block).

## Original "Rigorous Review Summary" (historical)

Independent review of the Approach A result above:
- **CLEAN**: Fair comparison (identical vLLM/proxy/trace/measurement)
- **CLEAN**: No reward hacking (improvement from algorithmic difference)
- **WARNING**: 2% mean improvement needs multi-run verification (3-5 runs)
- **NOTE**: Hardcoded constants (`0.05`, `7000`) are hardware-specific but
  legitimate