Subject: [PATCH v4 10/10] commit-graph.txt: update design document

From: Derrick Stolee <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2018 14:38:03 +0000

We now calculate generation numbers in the commit-graph file and use
them in paint_down_to_common().

Expand the section on generation numbers to discuss how the three
special generation numbers GENERATION_NUMBER_INFINITY, _ZERO, and
_MAX interact with other generation numbers.

Signed-off-by: Derrick Stolee <[email-masked]>
---
 Documentation/technical/commit-graph.txt | 30 +++++++++++++++++++-----
 1 file changed, 24 insertions(+), 6 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Documentation/technical/commit-graph.txt b/Documentation/technical/commit-graph.txt
index 0550c6d0dc..d9f2713efa 100644
--- a/Documentation/technical/commit-graph.txt
+++ b/Documentation/technical/commit-graph.txt
@@ -77,6 +77,29 @@ in the commit graph. We can treat these commits as having "infinite"
 generation number and walk until reaching commits with known generation
 number.
 
+We use the macro GENERATION_NUMBER_INFINITY = 0xFFFFFFFF to mark commits not
+in the commit-graph file. If a commit-graph file was written by a version
+of Git that did not compute generation numbers, then those commits will
+have generation number represented by the macro GENERATION_NUMBER_ZERO = 0.
+
+Since the commit-graph file is closed under reachability, we can guarantee
+the following weaker condition on all commits:
+
+    If A and B are commits with generation numbers N amd M, respectively,
+    and N < M, then A cannot reach B.
+
+Note how the strict inequality differs from the inequality when we have
+fully-computed generation numbers. Using strict inequality may result in
+walking a few extra commits, but the simplicity in dealing with commits
+with generation number *_INFINITY or *_ZERO is valuable.
+
+We use the macro GENERATION_NUMBER_MAX = 0x3FFFFFFF to for commits whose
+generation numbers are computed to be at least this value. We limit at
+this value since it is the largest value that can be stored in the
+commit-graph file using the 30 bits available to generation numbers. This
+presents another case where a commit can have generation number equal to
+that of a parent.
+
 Design Details
 --------------
 
@@ -98,17 +121,12 @@ Future Work
 - The 'commit-graph' subcommand does not have a "verify" mode that is
   necessary for integration with fsck.
 
-- The file format includes room for precomputed generation numbers. These
-  are not currently computed, so all generation numbers will be marked as
-  0 (or "uncomputed"). A later patch will include this calculation.
-
 - After computing and storing generation numbers, we must make graph
   walks aware of generation numbers to gain the performance benefits they
   enable. This will mostly be accomplished by swapping a commit-date-ordered
   priority queue with one ordered by generation number. The following
-  operations are important candidates:
+  operation is an important candidate:
 
-    - paint_down_to_common()
     - 'log --topo-order'
 
 - Currently, parse_commit_gently() requires filling in the root tree
-- 
2.17.0.39.g685157f7fb