Add approximate state persistence

Summary:

Test Plan:

bytelatent/args.py

@@ -13,7 +13,10 @@ from bytelatent.data.file_util import get_fs
 from bytelatent.data.iterators.abstract_iterator import StatefulIterator
 from bytelatent.data.iterators.arrow_iterator import ArrowFileIterator
 from bytelatent.data.iterators.looping_iterator import LoopingIterator
-from bytelatent.data.iterators.multiprocess_iterator import MultiprocessIterator
+from bytelatent.data.iterators.multiprocess_iterator import (
+    MultiprocessIterator,
+    PersistType,
+)
 from bytelatent.data.iterators.packing_iterator import (
     PackingArgs,
     PackingIterator,
@@ -130,6 +133,7 @@ class DataloaderArgs(BaseModel):
     add_bos: bool = True
     add_eos: bool = True
     load_async: bool = True
+    async_persist_type: PersistType = PersistType.EXACT
     prefetch_size: int = 64
     preprocess_dir: str | None = None
     dataset_files: list[str] | None = None
@@ -215,7 +219,9 @@ class DataloaderArgs(BaseModel):
         packing_iterator = PackingIterator(sampling_iterator, packing_args=packing_args)
         if self.load_async:
             mp_iterator = MultiprocessIterator(
-                packing_iterator, n_batches_to_prefetch=self.prefetch_size
+                packing_iterator,
+                n_batches_to_prefetch=self.prefetch_size,
+                persist_type=self.async_persist_type,
             )
             return mp_iterator
         else:

bytelatent/data/iterators/multiprocess_iterator.py

@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 import json
 import logging
 import multiprocessing as mp
+from enum import Enum
 from multiprocessing.synchronize import Event as EventClass
 from queue import Empty, Full
 
@@ -19,11 +20,17 @@ from bytelatent.data.iterators.packing_iterator import PackingIteratorState
 logger = logging.getLogger()
 
 
+class PersistType(str, Enum):
+    EXACT = "exact"
+    APPROXIMATE = "approximate"
+
+
 class MultiprocessIteratorState(PydanticIteratorState):
     model_config = ConfigDict(extra="forbid")
     base_iterator_state: PackingIteratorState
     n_batches_to_prefetch: int
     serialized_prefetch_buffer: str
+    persist_type: PersistType
 
     def build(self):
         base_iterator = self.base_iterator_state.build()
@@ -33,14 +40,19 @@ class MultiprocessIteratorState(PydanticIteratorState):
             base_iterator,
             n_batches_to_prefetch=self.n_batches_to_prefetch,
             prefetch_buffer=prefetch_buffer,
+            persist_type=self.persist_type,
         )
 
 
 def start_work_from_state(
     batch_queue: mp.Queue,
     state_queue: mp.Queue,
+    approximate_state_queue: mp.Queue,
     stop_event: EventClass,
     state_dumped_event: EventClass,
+    trigger_approximate_send_state_event: EventClass,
+    sent_approximate_state_event: EventClass,
+    received_approximate_state_event: EventClass,
     state: IteratorState,
 ):
     logging.info("Worker thread: Starting base_iterator work")
@@ -49,6 +61,24 @@ def start_work_from_state(
     for item in iterator:
         while not stop_event.is_set():
             try:
+                if trigger_approximate_send_state_event.is_set():
+                    logger.debug("WT: trigger_approximate_send ack")
+                    # Since this can be triggered again (but only after the state is received on mp),
+                    # we should cleanup as soon as possible.
+                    trigger_approximate_send_state_event.clear()
+                    approximate_state = stateful_iterator.get_state()
+                    # At this state, there should always be exactly 1 slot.
+                    # Blocking here would be a bug.
+                    logger.debug("WT: Attempting to send approximate state")
+                    approximate_state_queue.put(
+                        approximate_state, block=True, timeout=None
+                    )
+                    sent_approximate_state_event.set()
+                    logger.debug("WT: Approximate state sent")
+                    # Same here, clear events as we no longer need them.
+                    received_approximate_state_event.wait()
+                    received_approximate_state_event.clear()
+                    logger.debug("WT: State received by MT, resuming batch iteration")
                 # Attempt to put on queue or timeout to try again (maybe main thread is busy)
                 batch_queue.put(item, timeout=0.1)
                 # On success, stop trying
@@ -124,18 +154,24 @@ class MultiprocessIterator(StatefulIterator):
         base_iterator: StatefulIterator,
         *,
         n_batches_to_prefetch: int,
-        prefetch_buffer: list | None = None
+        prefetch_buffer: list | None = None,
+        persist_type: PersistType = PersistType.EXACT,
     ):
         self.base_iterator = base_iterator
         self.n_batches_to_prefetch = n_batches_to_prefetch
+        self.persist_type = persist_type
         if prefetch_buffer is None:
             prefetch_buffer = []
         self.prefetch_buffer = prefetch_buffer
         self.batch_queue = None
         self.state_queue = None
+        self.approximate_state_queue = None
         self.producer = None
         self.stop_iterating_event = None
         self.state_dumped_event = None
+        self.trigger_approximate_send_state_event = None
+        self.sent_approximate_state_event = None
+        self.received_approximate_state_event = None
         self.force_shutdown = False
 
     def shutdown(self):
@@ -144,6 +180,85 @@ class MultiprocessIterator(StatefulIterator):
             self.producer.kill()
             self.force_shutdown = True
 
+    def _get_state_exact(self):
+        logging.debug("Main thread: Sending stop iteration event")
+        self.stop_iterating_event.set()
+        logging.debug(
+            "Main thread: Emptying the batch_queue until batch.is_final=True is found."
+        )
+        self.prefetch_buffer = []
+        final_batch_received = False
+        while True:
+            try:
+                batch = self.batch_queue.get(timeout=1)
+                if batch.is_final:
+                    logging.debug(
+                        "Main thread: is_final=True batch found, stopping fetch from batch_queue"
+                    )
+                    final_batch_received = True
+                    break
+                self.prefetch_buffer.append(batch)
+            except Empty:
+                logging.warning("Main thread: batch_queue is abnormally empty")
+        assert final_batch_received
+
+        logging.debug("Main thread: Waiting for state_dumped event")
+        self.state_dumped_event.wait()
+
+        try:
+            base_iterator_state = self.state_queue.get(timeout=1)
+            assert isinstance(base_iterator_state, IteratorState)
+        except Empty:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Attempted to get the state, but it was unexpectantly missing"
+            )
+
+        self.base_iterator = base_iterator_state.build()
+        self.producer.close()
+        self.producer = None
+        self.batch_queue = None
+        self.state_queue = None
+        self.approximate_state_queue = None
+        self.stop_iterating_event = None
+        self.state_dumped_event = None
+        self.trigger_approximate_send_state_event = None
+        self.sent_approximate_state_event = None
+        self.received_approximate_state_event = None
+
+        return MultiprocessIteratorState(
+            base_iterator_state=self.base_iterator.get_state(),
+            n_batches_to_prefetch=self.n_batches_to_prefetch,
+            serialized_prefetch_buffer=json.dumps(
+                [b.to_python_dict() for b in self.prefetch_buffer]
+            ),
+            persist_type=self.persist_type,
+        )
+
+    def _get_state_approximate(self):
+        logging.debug("MT: Sending approximate get_state request")
+        self.trigger_approximate_send_state_event.set()
+        logging.debug("MT: Waiting for sent_approximate_state_event")
+        self.sent_approximate_state_event.wait()
+        logging.debug("MT: sent_approximate_state_event ack")
+        try:
+            base_iterator_state = self.approximate_state_queue.get(timeout=1)
+            logging.debug("MT: approximate state received")
+            assert isinstance(base_iterator_state, IteratorState)
+            assert self.approximate_state_queue.empty()
+        except Empty:
+            raise ValueError(
+                "Attempted to get approximate state, but queue was erroniously empty."
+            )
+        self.received_approximate_state_event.set()
+        return MultiprocessIteratorState(
+            base_iterator_state=base_iterator_state,
+            n_batches_to_prefetch=self.n_batches_to_prefetch,
+            serialized_prefetch_buffer=json.dumps(
+                [b.to_python_dict() for b in self.prefetch_buffer]
+            ),
+            persist_type=self.persist_type,
+        )
+
     def get_state(self) -> MultiprocessIteratorState:
         """
         This is slightly unusual in effectively destroying the current iterator, its necessary
@@ -162,55 +277,15 @@ class MultiprocessIterator(StatefulIterator):
                 base_iterator_state=self.base_iterator.get_state(),
                 n_batches_to_prefetch=self.n_batches_to_prefetch,
                 serialized_prefetch_buffer=serialized_prefetch_buffer,
+                persist_type=self.persist_type,
             )
         else:
-            logging.debug("Main thread: Sending stop iteration event")
+            if self.persist_type == PersistType.EXACT:
-            self.stop_iterating_event.set()
+                return self._get_state_exact()
-            logging.debug(
+            elif self.persist_type == PersistType.APPROXIMATE:
-                "Main thread: Emptying the batch_queue until batch.is_final=True is found."
+                return self._get_state_approximate()
-            )
+            else:
-            self.prefetch_buffer = []
+                raise ValueError("invalid persist_type")
-            final_batch_received = False
-            while True:
-                try:
-                    batch = self.batch_queue.get(timeout=1)
-                    if batch.is_final:
-                        logging.debug(
-                            "Main thread: is_final=True batch found, stopping fetch from batch_queue"
-                        )
-                        final_batch_received = True
-                        break
-                    self.prefetch_buffer.append(batch)
-                except Empty:
-                    logging.warning("Main thread: batch_queue is abnormally empty")
-            assert final_batch_received
-
-            logging.debug("Main thread: Waiting for state_dumped event")
-            self.state_dumped_event.wait()
-
-            try:
-                base_iterator_state = self.state_queue.get(timeout=1)
-                assert isinstance(base_iterator_state, IteratorState)
-            except Empty:
-                raise ValueError(
-                    "Attempted to get the state, but it was unexpectantly missing"
-                )
-
-            self.base_iterator = base_iterator_state.build()
-            self.producer.close()
-            self.producer = None
-            self.batch_queue = None
-            self.state_queue = None
-            self.stop_iterating_event = None
-            self.state_dumped_event = None
-
-            return MultiprocessIteratorState(
-                base_iterator_state=self.base_iterator.get_state(),
-                n_batches_to_prefetch=self.n_batches_to_prefetch,
-                serialized_prefetch_buffer=json.dumps(
-                    [b.to_python_dict() for b in self.prefetch_buffer]
-                ),
-            )
 
     def create_iter(self):
         if self.force_shutdown:
@@ -236,8 +311,14 @@ class MultiprocessIterator(StatefulIterator):
         # We should only ever one state, which is output at the detection of a stop event
         self.state_queue = ctx.Manager().Queue(maxsize=1)
 
+        # Similarly, there should only ever be one state in flight due to event signals
+        self.approximate_state_queue = ctx.Manager().Queue(maxsize=1)
+
         self.stop_iterating_event = ctx.Event()
         self.state_dumped_event = ctx.Event()
+        self.trigger_approximate_send_state_event = ctx.Event()
+        self.sent_approximate_state_event = ctx.Event()
+        self.received_approximate_state_event = ctx.Event()
 
         self.producer = mp.Process(
             name="blt_data_loader",
@@ -245,8 +326,12 @@ class MultiprocessIterator(StatefulIterator):
             args=(
                 self.batch_queue,
                 self.state_queue,
+                self.approximate_state_queue,
                 self.stop_iterating_event,
                 self.state_dumped_event,
+                self.trigger_approximate_send_state_event,
+                self.sent_approximate_state_event,
+                self.received_approximate_state_event,
                 self.base_iterator.get_state(),
             ),
         )