add elastic scaling MVP guide (#4663)

Resolves #4468

Gives instructions on how to enable elastic scaling MVP to parachain
teams.

Still a draft because it depends on further changes we make to the
slot-based collator:
#4097

Parachains cannot use this yet because the collator was not released and
no relay chain network has been configured for elastic scaling yet

Author: alindima

Cargo.lock

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ hex-literal = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
 log = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
 serde = { features = ["derive"], workspace = true, default-features = true }
 serde_json = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
+docify = { workspace = true }
 
 # Local
 rococo-parachain-runtime = { workspace = true }

cumulus/polkadot-parachain/Cargo.toml

@@ -15,13 +15,16 @@
 // along with Cumulus.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 
 use cumulus_client_cli::{CollatorOptions, ExportGenesisHeadCommand};
-use cumulus_client_collator::service::CollatorService;
-use cumulus_client_consensus_aura::collators::{
-	lookahead::{self as aura, Params as AuraParams},
-	slot_based::{self as slot_based, Params as SlotBasedParams},
+use cumulus_client_collator::service::{
+	CollatorService, ServiceInterface as CollatorServiceInterface,
+};
+use cumulus_client_consensus_aura::collators::lookahead::{self as aura, Params as AuraParams};
+#[docify::export(slot_based_colator_import)]
+use cumulus_client_consensus_aura::collators::slot_based::{
+	self as slot_based, Params as SlotBasedParams,
 };
 use cumulus_client_consensus_common::ParachainBlockImport as TParachainBlockImport;
-use cumulus_client_consensus_proposer::Proposer;
+use cumulus_client_consensus_proposer::{Proposer, ProposerInterface};
 use cumulus_client_consensus_relay_chain::Verifier as RelayChainVerifier;
 #[allow(deprecated)]
 use cumulus_client_service::old_consensus;
@@ -62,6 +65,7 @@ use sc_sysinfo::HwBench;
 use sc_telemetry::{Telemetry, TelemetryHandle, TelemetryWorker, TelemetryWorkerHandle};
 use sc_transaction_pool::FullPool;
 use sp_api::ProvideRuntimeApi;
+use sp_inherents::CreateInherentDataProviders;
 use sp_keystore::KeystorePtr;
 use sp_runtime::{app_crypto::AppCrypto, traits::Header as HeaderT};
 use std::{marker::PhantomData, pin::Pin, sync::Arc, time::Duration};
@@ -623,6 +627,48 @@ pub(crate) struct StartSlotBasedAuraConsensus<RuntimeApi, AuraId>(
 	PhantomData<(RuntimeApi, AuraId)>,
 );
 
+impl<RuntimeApi, AuraId> StartSlotBasedAuraConsensus<RuntimeApi, AuraId>
+where
+	RuntimeApi: ConstructNodeRuntimeApi<Block, ParachainClient<RuntimeApi>>,
+	RuntimeApi::RuntimeApi: AuraRuntimeApi<Block, AuraId>,
+	AuraId: AuraIdT + Sync,
+{
+	#[docify::export_content]
+	fn launch_slot_based_collator<CIDP, CHP, Proposer, CS>(
+		params: SlotBasedParams<
+			ParachainBlockImport<RuntimeApi>,
+			CIDP,
+			ParachainClient<RuntimeApi>,
+			ParachainBackend,
+			Arc<dyn RelayChainInterface>,
+			CHP,
+			Proposer,
+			CS,
+		>,
+		task_manager: &TaskManager,
+	) where
+		CIDP: CreateInherentDataProviders<Block, ()> + 'static,
+		CIDP::InherentDataProviders: Send,
+		CHP: cumulus_client_consensus_common::ValidationCodeHashProvider<Hash> + Send + 'static,
+		Proposer: ProposerInterface<Block> + Send + Sync + 'static,
+		CS: CollatorServiceInterface<Block> + Send + Sync + Clone + 'static,
+	{
+		let (collation_future, block_builder_future) =
+			slot_based::run::<Block, <AuraId as AppCrypto>::Pair, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _>(params);
+
+		task_manager.spawn_essential_handle().spawn(
+			"collation-task",
+			Some("parachain-block-authoring"),
+			collation_future,
+		);
+		task_manager.spawn_essential_handle().spawn(
+			"block-builder-task",
+			Some("parachain-block-authoring"),
+			block_builder_future,
+		);
+	}
+}
+
 impl<RuntimeApi, AuraId> StartConsensus<RuntimeApi>
 	for StartSlotBasedAuraConsensus<RuntimeApi, AuraId>
 where
@@ -683,19 +729,10 @@ where
 			slot_drift: Duration::from_secs(1),
 		};
 
-		let (collation_future, block_builder_future) =
-			slot_based::run::<Block, <AuraId as AppCrypto>::Pair, _, _, _, _, _, _, _, _>(params);
+		// We have a separate function only to be able to use `docify::export` on this piece of
+		// code.
+		Self::launch_slot_based_collator(params, task_manager);
 
-		task_manager.spawn_essential_handle().spawn(
-			"collation-task",
-			Some("parachain-block-authoring"),
-			collation_future,
-		);
-		task_manager.spawn_essential_handle().spawn(
-			"block-builder-task",
-			Some("parachain-block-authoring"),
-			block_builder_future,
-		);
 		Ok(())
 	}
 }

cumulus/polkadot-parachain/src/service.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+//! # Enable elastic scaling MVP for a parachain
+//!
+//! <div class="warning">This guide assumes full familiarity with Asynchronous Backing and its
+//! terminology, as defined in https://wiki.polkadot.network/docs/maintain-guides-async-backing.
+//! Furthermore, the parachain should have already been upgraded according to the guide.</div>
+//!
+//! ## Quick introduction to elastic scaling
+//!
+//! [Elastic scaling](https://polkadot.network/blog/elastic-scaling-streamling-growth-on-polkadot)
+//! is a feature that will enable parachains to seamlessly scale up/down the number of used cores.
+//! This can be desirable in order to increase the compute or storage throughput of a parachain or
+//! to lower the latency between a transaction being submitted and it getting built in a parachain
+//! block.
+//!
+//! At present, with Asynchronous Backing enabled, a parachain can only include a block on the relay
+//! chain every 6 seconds, irregardless of how many cores the parachain acquires. Elastic scaling
+//! builds further on the 10x throughput increase of Async Backing, enabling collators to submit up
+//! to 3 parachain blocks per relay chain block, resulting in a further 3x throughput increase.
+//!
+//! ## Current limitations of the MVP
+//!
+//! The full implementation of elastic scaling spans across the entire relay/parachain stack and is
+//! still [work in progress](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/issues/1829).
+//! The MVP is still considered experimental software, so stability is not guaranteed.
+//! If you encounter any problems,
+//! [please open an issue](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/issues).
+//! Below are described the current limitations of the MVP:
+//!
+//! 1. **Limited core count**. Parachain block authoring is sequential, so the second block will
+//!    start being built only after the previous block is imported. The current block production is
+//!    capped at 2 seconds of execution. Therefore, assuming the full 2 seconds are used, a
+//!    parachain can only utilise at most 3 cores in a relay chain slot of 6 seconds. If the full
+//!    execution time is not being used, higher core counts can be achieved.
+//! 2. **Single collator requirement for consistently scaling beyond a core at full authorship
+//!    duration of 2 seconds per block.** Using the current implementation with multiple collators
+//!    adds additional latency to the block production pipeline. Assuming block execution takes
+//!    about the same as authorship, the additional overhead is equal the duration of the authorship
+//!    plus the block announcement. Each collator must first import the previous block before
+//!    authoring a new one, so it is clear that the highest throughput can be achieved using a
+//!    single collator. Experiments show that the peak performance using more than one collator
+//!    (measured up to 10 collators) is utilising 2 cores with authorship time of 1.3 seconds per
+//!    block, which leaves 400ms for networking overhead. This would allow for 2.6 seconds of
+//!    execution, compared to the 2 seconds async backing enabled.
+//!    [More experiments](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/issues/4696) are being
+//!    conducted in this space.
+//! 3. **Trusted collator set.** The collator set needs to be trusted until there’s a mitigation
+//!    that would prevent or deter multiple collators from submitting the same collation to multiple
+//!    backing groups. A solution is being discussed
+//!    [here](https://github.com/polkadot-fellows/RFCs/issues/92).
+//! 4. **Fixed scaling.** For true elasticity, the parachain must be able to seamlessly acquire or
+//!    sell coretime as the user demand grows and shrinks over time, in an automated manner. This is
+//!    currently lacking - a parachain can only scale up or down by “manually” acquiring coretime.
+//!    This is not in the scope of the relay chain functionality. Parachains can already start
+//!    implementing such autoscaling, but we aim to provide a framework/examples for developing
+//!    autoscaling strategies.
+//!
+//! Another hard limitation that is not envisioned to ever be lifted is that parachains which create
+//! forks will generally not be able to utilise the full number of cores they acquire.
+//!
+//! ## Using elastic scaling MVP
+//!
+//! ### Prerequisites
+//!
+//! - Ensure Asynchronous Backing is enabled on the network and you have enabled it on the parachain
+//!   using [`crate::guides::async_backing_guide`].
+//! - Ensure the `AsyncBackingParams.max_candidate_depth` value is configured to a value that is at
+//!   least double the maximum targeted parachain velocity. For example, if the parachain will build
+//!   at most 3 candidates per relay chain block, the `max_candidate_depth` should be at least 6.
+//! - Use a trusted single collator for maximum throughput.
+//! - Ensure enough coretime is assigned to the parachain. For maximum throughput the upper bound is
+//!   3 cores.
+//!
+//! <div class="warning">Phase 1 is not needed if using the `polkadot-parachain` binary built
+//! from the latest polkadot-sdk release! Simply pass the `--experimental-use-slot-based` parameter
+//! to the command line and jump to Phase 2.</div>
+//!
+//! The following steps assume using the cumulus parachain template.
+//!
+//! ### Phase 1 - (For custom parachain node) Update Parachain Node
+//!
+//! This assumes you are using
+//! [the latest parachain template](https://github.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/tree/master/templates/parachain).
+//!
+//! This phase consists of plugging in the new slot-based collator.
+//!
+//! 1. In `node/src/service.rs` import the slot based collator instead of the lookahead collator.
+#![doc = docify::embed!("../../cumulus/polkadot-parachain/src/service.rs", slot_based_colator_import)]
+//!
+//! 2. In `start_consensus()`
+//!     - Remove the `overseer_handle` param (also remove the
+//!     `OverseerHandle` type import if it’s not used elsewhere).
+//!     - Rename `AuraParams` to `SlotBasedParams`, remove the `overseer_handle` field and add a
+//!     `slot_drift` field with a   value of `Duration::from_secs(1)`.
+//!     - Replace the single future returned by `aura::run` with the two futures returned by it and
+//!     spawn them as separate tasks:
+#![doc = docify::embed!("../../cumulus/polkadot-parachain/src/service.rs", launch_slot_based_collator)]
+//!
+//! 3. In `start_parachain_node()` remove the `overseer_handle` param passed to `start_consensus`.
+//!
+//! ### Phase 2 - Activate fixed factor scaling in the runtime
+//!
+//! This phase consists of a couple of changes needed to be made to the parachain’s runtime in order
+//! to utilise fixed factor scaling.
+//!
+//! First of all, you need to decide the upper limit to how many parachain blocks you need to
+//! produce per relay chain block (in direct correlation with the number of acquired cores). This
+//! should be either 1 (no scaling), 2 or 3. This is called the parachain velocity.
+//!
+//! If you configure a velocity which is different from the number of assigned cores, the measured
+//! velocity in practice will be the minimum of these two.
+//!
+//! The chosen velocity will also be used to compute:
+//! - The slot duration, by dividing the 6000 ms duration of the relay chain slot duration by the
+//! velocity.
+//! - The unincluded segment capacity, by multiplying the velocity with 2 and adding 1 to
+//! it.
+//!
+//! Let’s assume a desired maximum velocity of 3 parachain blocks per relay chain block. The needed
+//! changes would all be done in `runtime/src/lib.rs`:
+//!
+//! 1. Rename `BLOCK_PROCESSING_VELOCITY` to `MAX_BLOCK_PROCESSING_VELOCITY` and increase it to the
+//!    desired value. In this example, 3.
+//!
+//!      ```ignore
+//!      const MAX_BLOCK_PROCESSING_VELOCITY: u32 = 3;
+//!      ```
+//!
+//! 2. Set the `MILLISECS_PER_BLOCK` to the desired value.
+//!
+//!      ```ignore
+//!      const MILLISECS_PER_BLOCK: u32 =
+//!          RELAY_CHAIN_SLOT_DURATION_MILLIS / MAX_BLOCK_PROCESSING_VELOCITY;
+//!      ```
+//!     Note: for a parachain which measures time in terms of its own block number, changing block
+//!     time may cause complications, requiring additional changes.  See here more information:
+//!     [`crate::guides::async_backing_guide#timing-by-block-number`].
+//!
+//! 3. Increase the `UNINCLUDED_SEGMENT_CAPACITY` to the desired value.
+//!
+//!     ```ignore
+//!     const UNINCLUDED_SEGMENT_CAPACITY: u32 = 2 * MAX_BLOCK_PROCESSING_VELOCITY + 1;
+//!     ```

docs/sdk/src/guides/enable_elastic_scaling_mvp.rs

@@ -41,3 +41,6 @@ pub mod async_backing_guide;
 
 /// How to enable metadata hash verification in the runtime.
 pub mod enable_metadata_hash;
+
+/// How to enable elastic scaling MVP on a parachain.
+pub mod enable_elastic_scaling_mvp;

docs/sdk/src/guides/mod.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+# Schema: Polkadot SDK PRDoc Schema (prdoc) v1.0.0
+# See doc at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/paritytech/polkadot-sdk/master/prdoc/schema_user.json
+
+title: Add elastic scaling MVP guide
+
+doc:
+  - audience: Node Operator
+    description: |
+      Adds a guide for parachains that want to use the experimental elastic scaling MVP.
+      Will be viewable at: https://paritytech.github.io/polkadot-sdk/master/polkadot_sdk_docs/guides/enable_elastic_scaling_mvp/index.html
+
+crates:
+  - name: polkadot-parachain-bin
+    bump: none