/*
 * FLAT DIRECTED GRAPH (FDG) MEMORY REPRESENTATION * VERSION 1: (obsolete)
 *
 * FDG is represented by two arrays of 32bit words: the node-buffer and the link-buffer
 *
 * Each node has a entry in the node-buffer.
 * Links (arcs connecting couples of nodes) are grouped in the link-buffer into link-areas, that is: all
 * links departing from a given node are kept continuos in a link-area.
 *
 * A node-entry has the fields:
 *  nodeid: a unique id for the node in the graph
 *  status: flags indicating the role of the node (from/to/both)
 *  offset: the byte offset to the link-area in the link-buffer
 *  [attr]: optionally an arbitrary length area for user supplied node attributes.
 *
 * A link-area has the fields:
 *  tocnt : the number of departing links
 *  toarr : the array of departing links
 *
 * Each link in the link-area array has the fields:
 *  offset: the byte offset in the node buffer of the destination node for this link
 *  cost  : the effort needed to 'travel' from origin node *to* the destination node (not bidirectional)
 *  user  : a value passed by the user for this link - it's usually a unique user supplied link-id.
 *  [attr]: optionally an arbitrary length area for user supplied link attributes.
 *
 * Nodes in the node buffer are kept sorted by ascending nodeid. Thus, given that a node entry has fixed size,
 * a node can be found using a binary search in the node buffer.
 * 
 * Node attributes are optionally stored by enlarging the node entry by a fixed amount of bytes (attr), as well as link
 * attributes, which are stored in the respective link entry extension (attr).
 * Sizes for node and link attributes are given at graph creation time and cannot be modified later on.
 * 
 *        +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------> ...
 *        | +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
 *        | | +-----------------------------------+                               |
 *        | | |                                   V                               V
 * Node Buffer   (nodeid|status|offset|attr)...  (nodeid|status|offset|attr)...  (nodeid|status|offset|attr)...
 *        | | |                   |                                                               |                     
 *        | | |   +---------------+                                      +------------------------+
 *        | | |   V                                                      V                              
 * Link Buffer   (tocnt|toarr) ...                                      (tocnt|toarr)                  
 *        | | |        (offset|cost|user|attr)[0]... ()[tocnt-1]...           (offset|cost|user|attr)[0]... ()[tocnt-1]...
 *        | | |           |                           |                         |                            ...
 *        | | +-----------+                           |                         |
 *        | +-----------------------------------------+                         |
 *        +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
 *
 */

/* FLAT DIRECTED GRAPH (FDG) FILE REPRESENTATION * VERSION 1 (obsolete)
 *
 * FDGs can be stored into files as they are, or in other words, they are serializable.
 * Graphs are versioned: a pool exists of pointers to methods which implement a given graph version, for each graph version.
 * Actually only version 1 has been defined.
 * The version number is stored as the first byte of the graph file and must be supplied as an argument when we want to
 * initialize a new graph. When reading a graph from a stream, the library understands by the first byte what version
 * is it, and initializes it appropriately.
 *
 * Version 1 graph file format:
 *
 * Field                          Size/Type                     Value range          Description
 * [VERSION...................]   1 byte                        1                    Version 1 graphs always keep value 1
 * [ENDIANESS.................]   1 byte                        1 | 2                Integer words byte order 1=big 2=little
 * [NODE ATTRIBUTES BYTE SIZE.]   4 bytes integer               >= 0                 Byte size of attributes area for each node
 * [LINK ATTRIBUTES BYTE SIZE.]   4 bytes integer               >= 0                 Byte size of attributes area for each link
 * [OPAQUE SET................]   16 words of 4 bytes           -                    Free user's storage
 * [NODE COUNT................]   4 bytes integer               > 0                  How many nodes in graph
 * [FROM NODE COUNT...........]   4 bytes integer               > 0                  How many nodes with from role
 * [TO NODE COUNT.............]   4 bytes integer               > 0                  How many nodes with to role
 * [ALONE NODE COUNT..........]   4 bytes integer               > 0                  How many nodes with alone role
 * [ARC (LINK) COUNT..........]   4 bytes integer               > 0                  Home many links in graph
 * [NODE BUFFER BYTE SIZE.....]   4 bytes integer               >= 0                 Byte size of the node buffer
 * [LINK BUFFER BYTE SIZE.....]   4 bytes integer               >= 0                 Byte size of the link buffer
 * [NODE BUFFER...............]   variable len array of bytes   V1 FDG NODE BUFFER   Node buffer
 * [LINK BUFFER...............]   variable len array of bytes   V1 FDG LINK BUFFER   Link buffer
 *
 */


