Article

An efficient parallel heap compaction algorithm

Authors:

Uri SilbershteinAuthors Info & Claims

OOPSLA '04: Proceedings of the 19th annual ACM SIGPLAN conference on Object-oriented programming, systems, languages, and applications

Pages 224 - 236

https://doi.org/10.1145/1028976.1028995

Published: 01 October 2004 Publication History

Abstract

We propose a heap compaction algorithm appropriate for modern computing environments. Our algorithm is targeted at SMP platforms. It demonstrates high scalability when running in parallel but is also extremely efficient when running single-threaded on a uniprocessor. Instead of using the standard forwarding pointer mechanism for updating pointers to moved objects, the algorithm saves information for a pack of objects. It then does a small computation to process this information and determine each object's new location. In addition, using a smart parallel moving strategy, the algorithm achieves (almost) perfect compaction in the lower addresses of the heap, whereas previous algorithms achieved parallelism by compacting within several predetermined segments.

Next, we investigate a method that trades compaction quality for a further reduction in time and space overhead. Finally, we propose a modern version of the two-finger compaction algorithm. This algorithm fails, thus, re-validating traditional wisdom asserting that retaining the order of live objects significantly improves the quality of the compaction.

The parallel compaction algorithm was implemented on the IBM production Java Virtual Machine. We provide measurements demonstrating high efficiency and scalability. Subsequently, this algorithm has been incorporated into the IBM production JVM.

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Cited By

Norlinder JYang ABlack-Schaffer DWrigstad TErtl MKirsch C(2024)Mutator-Driven Object Placement using Load BarriersProceedings of the 21st ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Managed Programming Languages and Runtimes10.1145/3679007.3685060(14-27)Online publication date: 13-Sep-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679007.3685060
Koparkar CSinghal VGupta ARainey MVollmer MPelenitsyn ATobin-Hochstadt SKulkarni MNewton RBond MLee JPayer H(2024)Garbage Collection for Mostly Serialized HeapsProceedings of the 2024 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on Memory Management10.1145/3652024.3665512(1-14)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3652024.3665512
Norlinder JÖsterlund EWrigstad T(2022)Compressed Forwarding Tables ReconsideredProceedings of the 19th International Conference on Managed Programming Languages and Runtimes10.1145/3546918.3546928(45-63)Online publication date: 14-Sep-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3546918.3546928
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Index Terms

An efficient parallel heap compaction algorithm
1. Software and its engineering
  1. Software organization and properties
    1. Contextual software domains
      1. Operating systems
        Memory management
        Garbage collection

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Published In

cover image ACM Conferences

OOPSLA '04: Proceedings of the 19th annual ACM SIGPLAN conference on Object-oriented programming, systems, languages, and applications

October 2004

462 pages

ISBN:1581138318

DOI:10.1145/1028976

General Chair:
John Vlissides
IBM Research
,
Program Chair:
Doug Schmidt
Vanderbilt

ACM SIGPLAN Notices Volume 39, Issue 10
OOPSLA '04
October 2004
448 pages
ISSN:0362-1340
EISSN:1558-1160
DOI:10.1145/1035292
Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 2004 ACM.

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Published: 01 October 2004

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OOPSLA04: ACM SIGPLAN Object Oriented Programming Systems and Applications Conference

October 24 - 28, 2004

BC, Vancouver, Canada

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Cited By

Norlinder JYang ABlack-Schaffer DWrigstad TErtl MKirsch C(2024)Mutator-Driven Object Placement using Load BarriersProceedings of the 21st ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Managed Programming Languages and Runtimes10.1145/3679007.3685060(14-27)Online publication date: 13-Sep-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3679007.3685060
Koparkar CSinghal VGupta ARainey MVollmer MPelenitsyn ATobin-Hochstadt SKulkarni MNewton RBond MLee JPayer H(2024)Garbage Collection for Mostly Serialized HeapsProceedings of the 2024 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on Memory Management10.1145/3652024.3665512(1-14)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3652024.3665512
Norlinder JÖsterlund EWrigstad T(2022)Compressed Forwarding Tables ReconsideredProceedings of the 19th International Conference on Managed Programming Languages and Runtimes10.1145/3546918.3546928(45-63)Online publication date: 14-Sep-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3546918.3546928
Springer MMasuhara HSinger JXu H(2019)Massively parallel GPU memory compactionProceedings of the 2019 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on Memory Management10.1145/3315573.3329979(14-26)Online publication date: 23-Jun-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3315573.3329979
Briggs KZhou BDueck G(2017)Cold object identification in the Java virtual machineSoftware—Practice & Experience10.1002/spe.239647:1(79-95)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2017
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/spe.2396
Yu YLei TZhang WChen HZang B(2016)Performance Analysis and Optimization of Full Garbage Collection in Memory-hungry EnvironmentsACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/3007611.289225151:7(123-130)Online publication date: 25-Mar-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3007611.2892251
Yu YLei TZhang WChen HZang BGupta-Cledat VPorter DSarkar V(2016)Performance Analysis and Optimization of Full Garbage Collection in Memory-hungry EnvironmentsProceedings of the12th ACM SIGPLAN/SIGOPS International Conference on Virtual Execution Environments10.1145/2892242.2892251(123-130)Online publication date: 25-Mar-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2892242.2892251
Richard ANguyen LShipton PKent KBierbrauer ANasartschuk KDombrowski M(2016)Inter-JVM SharingSoftware—Practice & Experience10.1002/spe.237946:9(1285-1296)Online publication date: 1-Sep-2016
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1002/spe.2379
Strandh RFeeley MVerna D(2014)An Improvement to Sliding Garbage CollectionProceedings of ILC 2014 on 8th International Lisp Conference10.1145/2635648.2635655(97-102)Online publication date: 14-Aug-2014
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2635648.2635655
Morikawa KUgawa TIwasaki H(2013)Adaptive scanning reduces sweep time for the Lisp2 mark-compact garbage collectorACM SIGPLAN Notices10.1145/2555670.246648048:11(15-26)Online publication date: 20-Jun-2013
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2555670.2466480
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