for (Iterator<Method> maximal = maximals.iterator(); !lessSpecific && maximal.hasNext(); ) {
                Method max = maximal.next();

                switch (moreSpecific(appArgs, max.getParameterTypes())) {
                    case MORE_SPECIFIC:
                        // This method is more specific than the previously
                        // known maximally specific, so remove the old maximum.

//  Proto debug string:
//    type: 	 TUPLE
//    tuple_shardings {
//      type: MAXIMAL
//      tile_assignment_dimensions: 1
//      tile_assignment_devices: 0
//    }
//    tuple_shardings {
//      type: MAXIMAL
//      tile_assignment_dimensions: 1
//      tile_assignment_devices: 1
//    }

    if (sharding.type() == xla::OpSharding::MAXIMAL &&
        ((sharding.tile_assignment_devices(0) >= num_cores_per_replica) ||
         (sharding.tile_assignment_devices(0) < 0)))
      return cluster_func.emitError(llvm::formatv(
          "incorrect sharding format for outputs. Maximal "
          "sharding should be assigned to device id in range "

    const auto sharding = GetShardingFromVariant(sharding_or_op);
    return sharding && sharding->type() == xla::OpSharding::MAXIMAL;
  };

  // XLA SPMD only supports cases where all inputs/outputs exist on every
  // partition (sharded or replicated). If any of the inputs/outputs have
  // maximal sharding, then fallback to MPMD. Also fall back if any of the
  // shardings aren't compatible with the rank of their tensor.

 *       #contains}.
 *   <li>Terminology note: a range {@code a} is said to be the <i>maximal</i> range having property
 *       <i>P</i> if, for all ranges {@code b} also having property <i>P</i>, {@code a.encloses(b)}.
 *       Likewise, {@code a} is <i>minimal</i> when {@code b.encloses(a)} for all {@code b} having

}

// -----
// The following op sharding is used in the following test case:
// Proto debug string:
//   type: MAXIMAL
//   tile_assignment_dimensions: 1
//   tile_assignment_devices: 0
// Serialized string:
//   "\08\01\1A\01\01\22\01\00"
// Proto debug string:
//   type: MAXIMAL
//   tile_assignment_dimensions: 1
//   tile_assignment_devices: 1
// Serialized string:
//   "\08\01\1A\01\01\22\01\01"

 *       #contains}.
 *   <li>Terminology note: a range {@code a} is said to be the <i>maximal</i> range having property
 *       <i>P</i> if, for all ranges {@code b} also having property <i>P</i>, {@code a.encloses(b)}.
 *       Likewise, {@code a} is <i>minimal</i> when {@code b.encloses(a)} for all {@code b} having

	}

	// BoringSSL uses sentinel salt length values like we do, but the values don't
	// fully match what we use. We both use -1 for salt length equal to hash length,
	// but BoringSSL uses -2 to mean maximal size where we use 0. In the latter
	// case convert to the BoringSSL version.
	if saltLen == 0 {
		saltLen = -2
	}

	var out []byte
	var outLen C.size_t
	if priv.withKey(func(key *C.GO_RSA) C.int {

  for (auto& sharding : shardings) {
    if (sharding.type() != xla::OpSharding::MAXIMAL) {
      continue;
    }
    if (sharding.tile_assignment_devices_size() != 1) {
      op->emitOpError("TF/XLA TPU bridge input check: There must be ")
          << "exactly 1 device for MAXIMAL sharding."
          << " Number of devices assigned are "
          << sharding.tile_assignment_devices_size() << "\n";

	// it reports maximal usage during the last second.
	currentInflightRequests = compbasemetrics.NewGaugeVec(
		&compbasemetrics.GaugeOpts{
			Subsystem:      APIServerComponent,
			Name:           "current_inflight_requests",
			Help:           "Maximal number of currently used inflight request limit of this apiserver per request kind in last second.",