Get/Test/Export should run concurrently #1737

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1. Steve Lee (SteveL-MSFT)

   added

   Issue-EnhancementThe issue is a feature or ideaThe issue is a feature or idea

   Needs Triage

   on Oct 5, 2026
2. Mikey Lombardi (He/Him) (michaeltlombardi)

   added this to DSC Working Groupon Oct 8, 2026
3. Jason Helmick (theJasonHelmick)

   removed

   Needs Triage

   on Oct 8, 2026
4. theJasonHelmick commented on Oct 8, 2026

   

   Jason Helmick (theJasonHelmick)

   on Oct 8, 2026

   Last edited by theJasonHelmick

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   We want to expose settings at the configuration level, and also consider how to expose in a resource manifest how the resource itself determines concurrency. We want to avoid overloading the system.

   Follow-up from the 10/8 working group discussion on concurrency:

   • RFC likely needed. Concurrency touches configuration document processing, settings, definitions, and resource manifests. It most likely needs an RFC, and certainly one if set is included.
   • get/test vs. set symmetry (open). If get/test/export can run concurrently but set stays serial, the behavior of the node graph becomes harder to predict and to visualize. One view is that the language, not a setting, should define what runs in parallel. Another is that an asymmetric design is acceptable if it is clean, since set is the harder case. Not resolved.
   • Marking resources. We considered having each resource declare everything it touches so the engine can detect conflicts. That is probably not feasible. The alternative is that the configuration author decides and tests it. Neither is settled.
   • Unsupported directives. Where concurrency isn't supported, the directive is ignored and everything runs serially.
   • Rollout. Mark the feature experimental, and start opt-in because of the added complexity and unexpected behavior.
   • Prototype option. Try a parallel group resource implemented only by the engine. Resources outside the group stay serial. Resources inside it run in parallel (serial A, then the group, then serial B). This avoids adding directives to many resources and is easier to reason about in the document. If it proves valuable, pull it into the engine through directives and deprecate the group.
5. Jason Helmick (theJasonHelmick)

   added this to the 3.5-Consider milestone on Oct 8, 2026