+XBT_PRIVATE extern xbt_fifo_t mc_stack;
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+
+SG_END_DECL()
+
+namespace simgrid {
+namespace mc {
+
+struct DerefAndCompareByNbProcessesAndUsedHead {
+ template<class X, class Y>
+ bool operator()(X const& a, Y const& b)
+ {
+ return std::make_pair(a->nb_processes, a->heap_bytes_used) <
+ std::make_pair(b->nb_processes, b->heap_bytes_used);
+ }
+};
+
+/**
+ * \brief Find a suitable subrange of candidate duplicates for a given state
+ * \param list dynamic array of states/pairs with candidate duplicates of the current state;
+ * \param ref current state/pair;
+ * \param min (output) index of the beginning of the the subrange
+ * \param max (output) index of the enf of the subrange
+ *
+ * Given a suitably ordered array of states/pairs, this function extracts a subrange
+ * (with index *min <= i <= *max) with candidate duplicates of the given state/pair.
+ * This function uses only fast discriminating criterions and does not use the
+ * full state/pair comparison algorithms.
+ *
+ * The states/pairs in list MUST be ordered using a (given) weak order
+ * (based on nb_processes and heap_bytes_used).
+ * The subrange is the subrange of "equivalence" of the given state/pair.
+ */
+// TODO, it would make sense to use std::set instead
+// U = some pointer of T (T*, unique_ptr<T>, shared_ptr<T>)
+template<class U, class T>
+int get_search_interval(
+ U* list, std::size_t count, T *ref, int *min, int *max)
+{
+ auto res = std::equal_range(
+ list, list + count, ref, DerefAndCompareByNbProcessesAndUsedHead());
+
+ // Not found, but we have the insertion point:
+ if (res.first == res.second)
+ return res.first - list;
+
+ // Found, we have the whole matching range:
+ else {
+ *min = res.first - list;
+ *max = (res.second - 1) - list;
+ return -1;
+ }
+}
+
+}
+}