2024-09-30 - Buffer List API


1. Use case

The buffer list API allows one to share a certain amount of buffers between
multiple entities, which will each see their own as lists of buffers, while
keeping a shared free list. The immediate use case is for muxes, which may
want to allocate up to a certain number of buffers per connection, shared
among all streams. In this case, each stream will first request a new list
for its own use, then may request extra entries from the free list. At any
moment it will be possible to enumerate all allocated lists and to know which
buffer follows which one.


2. Representation

The buffer list is an array of struct bl_elem. It can hold up to N-1 buffers
for N elements. The first one serves as the bookkeeping head and creates the
free list.

Each bl_elem contains a struct buffer, a pointer to the next cell, and a few
flags. The struct buffer is a real struct buffer for all cells, except the
first one where it holds useful data to describe the state of the array:

    struct bl_elem {
        struct buffer {
            size_t size;  // head: size of the array in number of elements
            char  *area;  // head: not used (0)
            size_t data;  // head: number of elements allocated
            size_t head;  // head: number of users
        } buf;
        uint32_t next;
        uint32_t flags;
    };

There are a few important properties here:

  - for the free list, the first element isn't part of the list, otherwise
    there wouldn't be any head storage anymore.

  - the head's buf.data doesn't include the first cell of the array, thus its
    maximum value is buf.size - 1.

  - allocations are always made by appending to end of the existing list

  - releases are always made by releasing the beginning of the existing list

  - next == 0 for an allocatable cell implies that all the cells from this
    element to the last one of the array are free. This allows to simply
    initialize a whole new array with memset(array, 0, sizeof(array))

  - next == ~0 for an allocated cell indicates we've reached the last element
    of the current list.

  - for the head of the list, next points to the first available cell, or 0 if
    the free list is depleted.


3. Example

The array starts like this, created with a calloc() and having size initialized
to the total number of cells. The number represented is the 'next' value. "~"
here standands for ~0 (i.e. end marker).

  [1|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0]    => array entirely free

strm1: bl_get(0) -> 1 = assign 1 to strm1's first cell

  [2|~|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0]    => strm1 allocated at [1]
     1

strm1: bl_get(1) -> 2 = allocate one cell after cell 1

  [3|2|~|0|0|0|0|0|0|0]
     1

strm1: bl_get(2) -> 3 = allocate one cell after cell 2

  [4|2|3|~|0|0|0|0|0|0]
     1

strm2: bl_get(0) -> 4 = assign 4 to strm2's first cell

  [5|2|3|~|~|0|0|0|0|0]
     1     2

strm1: bl_put(1) -> 2 = release cell 1, jump to next one (2)

  [1|5|3|~|~|0|0|0|0|0]
       1   2


4. Manipulating buffer lists

The API is very simple, it allows to reserve a buffer for a new stream or for
an existing one, to release a stream's first buffer or release the entire
stream, and to initialize / release the whole array.

====================+==================+=======================================
Function            | Arguments/Return | Description
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_users()          | const bl_elem *b | returns the current number of users on
                    | ret: uint32_t    | the array (i.e. buf.head).
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_size()           | const bl_elem *b | returns the total number of
                    | ret: uint32_t    | allocatable cells (i.e. buf.size-1)
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_used()           | const bl_elem *b | returns the number of cells currently
                    | ret: uint32_t    | in use (i.e. buf.data)
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_avail()          | const bl_elem *b | returns the number of cells still
                    | ret: uint32_t    | available.
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_init()           | bl_elem *b       | initializes b for n elements. All are
                    | uint32_t n       | in the free list.
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_put()            | bl_elem *b       | releases cell <idx> to the free list,
                    | uint32_t n       | possibly deleting the user. Returns
                    | ret: uint32_t    | next cell idx or 0 if none (last one).
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_deinit()         | bl_elem *b       | only when DEBUG_STRICT==2, scans the
                    |                  | array to check for leaks.
--------------------+------------------+---------------------------------------
bl_get()            | bl_elem *b       | allocates a new cell after to add to n
                    | uint32_t n       | or a new stream. Returns the cell or 0
                    | ret: uint32_t    | if no more space.
====================+==================+=======================================
