Principle:LMCache LMCache Worker Registration
| Knowledge Sources | |
|---|---|
| Domains | Distributed_Systems, Service_Discovery |
| Last Updated | 2026-02-09 00:00 GMT |
Overview
A registration and heartbeat pattern where LMCache worker agents register with a centralized controller and maintain liveness through periodic heartbeats.
Description
Worker Registration is the process by which each LMCache-enabled vLLM instance announces itself to the centralized controller. An LMCacheWorker agent is created alongside the cache engine, connects to the controller's ZMQ endpoints, sends a registration message with instance metadata (instance_id, worker_id, NIXL host/ports), and starts a heartbeat loop that periodically sends cache statistics.
Usage
Worker registration happens automatically when enable_controller=True in the config. The worker agent is created by LMCacheManager during initialization.
Theoretical Basis
Registration follows a register-heartbeat-deregister lifecycle:
- Register: Worker sends instance metadata to controller via ZMQ REQ
- Heartbeat: Worker periodically sends cache statistics via ZMQ PUSH
- Timeout: Controller marks worker as dead if heartbeat stops for lmcache_worker_timeout seconds