This one is basically four questions stitched together and they expect you to treat it as one coherent design.
Start by clarifying the requirements and constraints of the graphics testing workflow, then define the IR with nodes, edges, metadata, and side-effect modeling. Next, explain the compilation process into an executable plan, covering caching, incremental rebuilds, and deterministic ordering. Finally, discuss versioning and schema evolution strategies to ensure long-term maintainability.
Pro tip: Emphasize determinism and reproducibility early, as they are critical for testing workflows and demonstrate an understanding of production-grade systems. Also, mention how your design balances flexibility with performance, a key trade-off in system design.
Ask questions to understand the scale, types of graphics tests, performance needs, and integration points. This ensures your design is grounded in real-world constraints.
Specify node types (e.g., test, setup, teardown, assertion) and edge types (e.g., data dependency, control dependency). Include metadata such as test parameters, expected outputs, and resource requirements.
Identify side effects (e.g., file I/O, GPU state changes) and model them explicitly, perhaps with special nodes or edge annotations. Define execution semantics to handle ordering and isolation.
Describe how to compile the IR into an executable plan: topological sorting for deterministic ordering, caching based on node hashes, and incremental rebuilds by tracking dirty nodes.
Propose a versioning scheme for the IR (e.g., semantic versioning) and strategies for backward/forward compatibility, such as optional fields, versioned nodes, and migration tools.
AI-generated suggestions, not part of the candidate's original notes. May be inaccurate — verify before relying on them.