can you explain the implementation of search algorithm (Linear programing for intra and

Daynamic prograning for inter paralelism) in Alpa paper?

ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
In
the context of the Alpa paper's auto-sharding strategy for distributed
computing, the "Linear Programming (LP)" and "Dynamic Programming (DP)"
approaches are used to tackle intra-operator and inter-operator
1. parallelism, respectively.

Intra-Operator Parallelism with Linear Programming (LP):

This part of the algorithm uses LP to optimize how a single operation
(like a matrix multiplication) is divided and executed across multiple
devices. Specifically, the linear programming solver works within
constraints like memory and bandwidth to allocate resources optimally.
By solving an LP, Alpa assigns chunks of the operation to different
parts of a device mesh, aiming to minimize communication cost and
○ maximize load balancing.

Inter-Operator Parallelism with Dynamic Programming (DP):

For inter-operator parallelism, where multiple operations need to be
executed in sequence or parallel, Alpa uses a DP approach. This method
calculates the most efficient sequence or grouping of operations,
determining which can overlap or should be split across devices. The DP
algorithm explores different configurations to find the lowest-cost
parallel execution path while adhering to memory and synchronization
○ constraints.

The auto_sharding code uploaded shows configurations and classes related to this,
including the AutoShardingOption and the LogicalDeviceMesh
classes. These setup sharding specs and enforce constraints in XLA HLO
passes for distributed parallel execution, addressing various
combinations and aligning with device mesh capabilities to achieve
efficient intra- and inter-operator parallelism​
.
You said:
Can you gimme the code part by part and explention specifictly the part that implemneted LP
and DP
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
To break down and explain the specific implementation of Linear Programming (LP) and
Dynamic Programming (DP) in the Alpa auto_sharding code, I’ll highlight and interpret the
relevant code sections.
The LP and DP algorithms in Alpa's auto_sharding
 feature are focused on optimizing how computation tasks are distributed
across devices in a cluster. Here’s an explanation, part-by-part, for
the core sections that define the LP and DP logic within the uploaded
code:
1. Setting Up the Linear Programming (LP) Solver for Intra-Operator
Parallelism
In the auto_sharding
implementation, the LP solver is mainly used to solve intra-operator
sharding tasks. Below is the primary code section responsible for
setting up and configuring the LP solver using PuLP, a Python library
for LP.
# This portion of code is located in `_call_solver_serialized_args`
function
import pulp
from pulp import LpVariable, LpProblem, LpMinimize, lpSum, lpDot,
LpStatus
...
# 1. Create variables
s = []
e = []
...
for i in range(N):
if s_follow[i] < 0:
if s_len[i] == 1:
s.append([1])
else:
num_nodes += 1
s.append(
LpVariable.matrix(f"s[{i}]", (range(s_len[i]),),
cat="Binary"))
else:
...

# Objective function definition

prob = LpProblem("myProblem", LpMinimize)
# Compute the cost for each sharding strategy
obj = 0
for i in range(N):
obj += lpDot(s[i], c[i]) + lpDot(s[i], d[i])
...
prob += obj
2. Explanation:
○ LP Variables Creation:
■ s and e are defined as binary variables representing whether a specific
sharding strategy is chosen for each node (s) and edge (e).
■ The LP constraints are added to enforce that each sharding configuration
is unique and meets memory constraints.
○ Objective Function:
■ obj is defined to minimize the combined cost of computation and
communication for the assigned shards.
■ The objective function obj is constructed by calculating the sum of the
costs associated with each possible sharding configuration (c[i] and
d[i]).

2. Constraints in LP for Sharding Choices

Constraints in the LP formulation help to enforce valid sharding configurations. Key constraints
in the code:
# Constraint: Enforcing single selection per node
for i in range(N):
if s_follow[i] < 0:
prob += lpSum(s[i]) == 1

# Memory Constraint
for t in range(N):
mem = 0
for i in L[t]:
mem += lpSum(s[i][j] * m[i][j] for j in range(len(s[i])))
prob += mem <= M
...
3. Explanation:
○ Single Selection Constraint: Ensures each operator or node has only one
sharding choice to prevent redundancy.
○ Memory Constraint: Enforces memory usage to stay within device limits (M),
based on the requirements of each sharded segment.

3. Solving the LP Problem

After defining variables, objective functions, and constraints, the problem is solved:
solver = pulp.PULP_CBC_CMD(mip=True, timeLimit=time_limit,
threads=multiprocessing.cpu_count())
prob.solve(solver)
This code uses PuLP’s PULP_CBC_CMD
solver with a set time limit, leveraging multiple threads. This LP
solution provides an optimal intra-operator sharding strategy by
minimizing costs within the given constraints.
4. Setting Up Dynamic Programming (DP) for Inter-Operator Parallelism
While
the uploaded file focuses heavily on LP, DP implementation typically
involves constructing a cost matrix or table to evaluate optimal paths
through the computation graph for inter-operator dependencies. The LogicalDeviceMesh
class plays a role in DP by modeling device communications costs across mesh dimensions.
A
general DP structure would involve recursive calls or iterative
evaluation to determine the best "path" through a sequence of
operations, given the constraints on parallelism and interdependencies.
Additional Context:
In Alpa, inter-operator parallelism is managed by breaking the computational graph into
pipeline stages. The function run_auto_sharding_pass
combines the DP approach by sequentially evaluating the cost of
different pipeline stage configurations, with each stage considering the
costs of data reshuffling and sharding setups:
hlo_stage_names, hlo_stages = get_auto_sharded_hlo_stages()
stage_plan = StagePlan(...)
4. Each stage is dynamically selected based on cost calculations, with StagePlan storing
and adjusting configurations as the DP process advances.
Summary
○ LP: Implemented for intra-operator sharding decisions within auto_sharding,
minimizing costs of sharding while adhering to memory and device constraints.

DP:
Implemented for inter-operator sharding decisions by breaking down the
graph into stages and evaluating communication and reshuffling costs
○ dynamically through stages.

These optimizations work

together to provide efficient sharding across a distributed device mesh,
tailored to the specific workload and resources.
You said:
your anser as great fo LP but for DP i did not understand
ChatGPT said:
ChatGPT
Let's
dive deeper into how Dynamic Programming (DP) is used for
inter-operator parallelism in Alpa, focusing specifically on how stages
are created and optimized. In the Alpa auto-sharding code, DP is used to
find the optimal path through multiple pipeline stages in a way that
minimizes communication costs and respects device memory limits.
In
Alpa, the DP algorithm is not a traditional DP table with recursive
calls. Instead, it breaks down the computation graph into pipeline
stages and makes sequential decisions based on communication and
reshuffling costs. Here’s a detailed look at how DP is set up and
5. applied in this code.
Step-by-Step Breakdown of DP in the Alpa Code

Define Pipeline Stages (Inter-Operator Dependencies)

The
computation graph is broken into stages, where each stage represents a
set of operations that can be executed in parallel. This setup helps
manage inter-operator dependencies because each stage can be processed
○ independently before moving to the next.
In run_auto_sharding_pass, we see references to pipeline stages:

multiple_stages = return_mode in ["stages", "stages_and_hook"]

hlo_stage_names, hlo_stages = get_auto_sharded_hlo_stages()
6.
○ multiple_stages: Determines if the computation is broken into multiple
stages.
○ hlo_stage_names and hlo_stages: Retrieve the names and computation
graphs for each pipeline stage.
○ Each stage is sharded based on device constraints and inter-operator
communication requirements.

Stage Plan for Dynamic Programming Optimization

The StagePlan
class stores the computed cost and configurations for each stage. It
plays a central role in Alpa’s DP approach by keeping track of optimal
7. sharding strategies across stages.

stage_plan = StagePlan(build_random_seed, logical_mesh.shape,

all_gather_threshold,
as_option.all_reduce_threshold,
as_option, last_s_val, last_objective)
8.
○ StagePlan is initialized with values like all_gather_threshold and
all_reduce_threshold, which dictate communication costs between devices.
It
captures the solution of each stage’s configuration, allowing the DP
process to “remember” the best configurations as it proceeds from one
○ stage to the next.
9. Inter-Stage Communication Costs
The DP part of Alpa’s auto-sharding takes into account inter-stage communication costs
by using cost functions associated with LogicalDeviceMesh. For example:

def all_gather_cost(self, num_bytes, mesh_dim):

...
def all_reduce_cost(self, num_bytes, mesh_dim):
...
def reduce_scatter_cost(self, num_bytes, mesh_dim):
...
def all_to_all_cost(self, num_bytes, mesh_dim):
10. ...