Suggestion: Optimization of Fallback Preconfer Assignment in _updateLookahead

[swarna1101]

1. Instead of assigning fallback preconfers one by one, can we consider batching fallback assignments for multiple consecutive empty slots. Maybe this reduces the overhead involved in calling getFallbackPreconfer multiple times and handling multiple single-slot assignments. By pre-calculating fallback entries for a block of slots, we can minimize gas usage.

About this I am talking:

if (lookaheadSetParams.length == 0) {
    // If no preconfers are present in the lookahead, we use the fallback preconfer for the entire epoch
    address fallbackPreconfer = getFallbackPreconfer(epochTimestamp);
    _lookaheadTail += 1;

    // Insert the fallback preconfer into the last slot of the epoch
    _setLookaheadEntry(
        _lookaheadTail,
        LookaheadBufferEntry({
            isFallback: true,
            timestamp: uint40(epochEndTimestamp - PreconfConstants.SECONDS_IN_SLOT),
            prevTimestamp: uint40(prevSlotTimestamp),
            preconfer: fallbackPreconfer
        })
    );
}

2. Also, Can we do something to check whether consecutive slots are empty, and apply a single fallback preconfer for that range of slots instead of assigning them individually. I was thinking this might be more efficient use of storage

[AnshuJalan]

Also, Can we do something to check whether consecutive slots are empty, and apply a single fallback preconfer for that range of slots instead of assigning them individually. I was thinking this might be more efficient use of storage

It is already happening this way. It is only assigning fallback to the last slot timestamp: uint40(epochEndTimestamp - PreconfConstants.SECONDS_IN_SLOT) and allowing it to preconf in advanced for the rest of the slots.

[swarna1101]

ok got it and what do you think of this?

Instead of assigning fallback preconfers one by one, can we consider batching fallback assignments for multiple consecutive empty slots. Maybe this reduces the overhead involved in calling getFallbackPreconfer multiple times and handling multiple single-slot assignments. By pre-calculating fallback entries for a block of slots, we can minimize gas usage.

[AnshuJalan]

At anytime we only know the fallback preconfer for the next epoch, and not the remaining. It is also dependent on the fact - whether we actually will need a fallback preconfer or not. The contract does not have access to the lookahead unless it is explicitly posted by a preconfer. So, only when a preconfer does push an empty lookahead, the contract gets to know that there is no preconfer in the upcoming epoch and a fallback needs to be chosen.