Principle:FMInference FlexLLMGen Runtime Configuration Constants
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Sources | Upstream: DeepSpeed, Paper: FlexGen |
| Domains | Configuration_Management, Runtime_Infrastructure |
| Last Updated | 2026-02-09 00:00 GMT |
Overview
A centralized constant registry pattern that defines all configuration key names and default values in a single authoritative module, preventing string duplication and ensuring configuration consistency across a large codebase.
Description
Runtime configuration constants embody the principle of single source of truth for configuration schema. In a system with many interacting features (optimizer, scheduler, precision, parallelism, sparsity, etc.), each feature requires multiple configuration keys, default values, and format documentation. Without centralization, these strings would be duplicated across parsers, validators, and error messages, creating maintenance burden and inconsistency risks.
The pattern organizes constants into logical groups:
- Key strings -- The exact JSON key names used in configuration files (e.g., "train_batch_size", "gradient_accumulation_steps"). These are the contract between the user-facing configuration file and the internal parsing code.
- Default values -- Sensible defaults for every optional parameter, following the _DEFAULT suffix convention. This enables convention-over-configuration: a minimal config file works because defaults cover most settings.
- Format strings -- Human-readable descriptions of expected configuration formats, used in error messages and documentation. These ensure error messages accurately describe what the system expects.
The naming convention is systematic: for a feature called X, the constants are X (key string), X_DEFAULT (default value), and optionally X_FORMAT (format documentation). This predictable naming makes the constants self-documenting and easy to locate.
Usage
Use a centralized constant registry when a configuration system has more than a handful of keys, especially when keys are referenced from multiple modules (parsing, validation, documentation, error messages). This pattern eliminates the risk of typos in configuration keys and provides a natural index of all available settings.
Theoretical Basis
The single source of truth principle, also known as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself), states that every piece of knowledge should have a single authoritative representation. For configuration systems, this means key names, defaults, and format documentation should be defined exactly once. The constant module serves as the schema definition for the configuration system, analogous to a database schema or API specification.