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obikmer/docmd/architecture/siblings.md
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Eric Coissac b1f54b7d2f Add cache-optimized batch retrieval and sub-matrix methods
Introduces batch retrieval and sub-matrix extraction methods across vector, view, reader, and matrix types. These implementations optimize cache locality by sorting requested indices for sequential memory access before applying an inverse permutation to restore original order. Includes allocation-free variants that populate caller-provided buffers. Updates architecture documentation to define sibling annex persistence in iteration order and clarify pipeline separation.
2026-08-16 14:01:35 +02:00

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# Sibling annex — architecture (discussion)
Status: architecture decided (2026-08-14). Implementation not yet mandated.
## Two index spaces, uncorrelated
Every kmer stored in a `Layer` lives in two independent index spaces:
- **Iteration order**: its position when enumerating `unitigs.bin` (the
superkmer file), deterministic but arbitrary with respect to slot.
- **MPHF slot**: `MphfLayer::index(kmer)`, the number the MPHF assigns.
The two are not correlated by any formula. Converting from one to the other
requires either recomputing the MPHF (kmer → slot) or scanning the iteration
stream (kmer → order). There is no `slot → kmer` operation: the MPHF is a
one-way function, not an invertible bijection with a stored inverse. Any
method that reconstructs a kmer from a bare slot number is wrong by
construction, regardless of the mechanism used (MPHF re-hash, or evidence
decode + direct unitig read). See `MphfLayer::kmer_at`
(`obilayeredmap/src/mphf_layer.rs`) — flagged for removal, currently called
from `obikindex/siblings/build.rs:122` and `family_scan.rs:173`.
## Two pipelines, never mixed
| | origin of the kmer | membership known? | correct mapping |
|---|---|---|---|
| **query pipeline** | external (caller-supplied) | no | `query`/`find`/`find_strict` — MPHF + evidence check |
| **iteration pipeline** | enumerated from this layer's own `unitigs.bin` | yes, by construction | `index`/`index_batch` — MPHF only, no evidence |
Evidence exists solely to answer "is this external kmer a member of the
layer" for the query pipeline. Using it (or the MPHF) to go the other way —
recover a kmer from a slot, or re-verify a kmer that was just produced by
iterating the layer — is a conceptual error: evidence can be probabilistic
(`Approx` mode), so any slot→kmer attempt is unsound in general, and
pointless even in `Exact`/`Hybrid` mode since the kmer was already known.
## Sibling annex: an iteration-pipeline artifact only
The sibling annex (`FamilyMask`/`SiblingAnnex`, `.psib`,
`obicompactvec/src/siblingannex.rs`) records, per kmer, whether it is a
family minorant and which family members are present in the index. Its only
consumers (`obikindex/siblings/stats.rs`, `family_scan.rs`) enumerate it
exhaustively (`0..annex.len()`); no query-pipeline code path touches it.
**Decision**: the annex must be persisted in iteration order, not slot
order. This lets readers zip-iterate `Layer::iter_kmers()` and the annex
file directly — one linear, cache-friendly pass, no MPHF/slot indirection,
no `kmer_at`. It also enables specialized iterators building on this zip:
minorants-only iteration, batch-of-kmers → batch-of-family-members, etc.
Today the annex is built and stored in **slot** order
(`build_layer_sibling_annex`, `siblings/build.rs`): `slot_kmer` is populated
via `(0..n_slots).map(|slot| mphf.kmer_at(slot))`, and the origin `slot` is
threaded through the whole cross-partition reconciliation pipeline (variant
generation, `query_partition_with`, final `mask[slot].fetch_or(...)`). This
must change to iterating `iter_kmers()`/`enumerate_kmers()` and threading
the **iteration index** instead of the slot end to end — eliminating
`kmer_at` from the build path entirely, not just the read path. No
slot-indexed intermediate is needed even during construction; the
iteration-order id is sufficient throughout.
The cross-partition side of the same pipeline is unaffected: checking
whether a generated family-variant kmer exists in another partition is a
genuine query-pipeline operation (the variant's membership in the *target*
partition is unknown) and must keep going through
`KmerPartition::query_partition_with` (MPHF + evidence), never a raw
`index()`.
## Pending work
- Remove `MphfLayer::kmer_at`.
- `siblings/build.rs`: build `slot_kmer`-equivalent via iteration, not
`kmer_at`; thread iteration index instead of slot through the
variant/reconciliation pipeline; persist the annex in iteration order.
- `siblings/family_scan.rs`, `stats.rs`: read the annex via zipped
iteration (`iter_kmers().zip(annex_iter)`) instead of `0..annex.len()` +
`kmer_at`.