// Section 4.3 · Protocol
Best-Fit Allocation
Smallest adequate node wins.
// 4.3 · best-fit allocation · signal 3 of 4
Among capable, available nodes the scheduler picks the smallest adequate one for the dispatched item. The intent is structural: leave larger nodes free for larger work, prevent capacity fragmentation, keep the heaviest work routable when it arrives. The example below routes a whole inference request, the live AI path; the same allocation applies to a sub-task on the general parallelizable-workload path.
Worked example
// medium inference request · 4 candidate nodes · best fit wins
req_a3f1 required: tier 3, ~mid-sized estimated capacity: 0.4 nodes
The fragmentation cost
// what naive scheduling looks like
If the scheduler greedily picks the first capable node, large nodes fill with small work. When a tier-4 heavy request arrives, no adequate node is free. Throughput drops; the request waits.
Best-fit routes small work to small adequate nodes. Large nodes stay available for large work. When a heavy request arrives, an adequate node is free immediately. Throughput holds; the heaviest work is never starved.