Abstract: A garbage collection process performs garbage collection operations in an object-based memory system associated with a processing environment. The garbage collection process receives, at a first garbage collection unit, object references derived from root data from a processor associated with the first garbage collection unit. In addition, the garbage collection process processes, at the first garbage collection unit, the root data received from the processor associated with the first garbage collection unit. The garbage collection process also determines which object references derived from the root data are associated with a second garbage collection unit. Upon determining that an object reference is associated with a second garbage collection unit, the garbage collection process communicates information representative of the object reference to the second garbage collection unit associated with the object reference.

Abstract: A garbage collection process performs garbage collection operations in an object-based memory system associated with a processing environment. The garbage collection process receives, at a first garbage collection unit, object references derived from root data from a processor associated with the first garbage collection unit. In addition, the garbage collection process processes, at the first garbage collection unit, the root data received from the processor associated with the first garbage collection unit. The garbage collection process also determines which object references derived from the root data are associated with a second garbage collection unit. Upon determining that an object reference is associated with a second garbage collection unit, the garbage collection process communicates information representative of the object reference to the second garbage collection unit associated with the object reference.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a memory-management system that supports both address-referenced objects and identifier-referenced objects, wherein an address-referenced object is accessed through a reference containing an address of the object, and wherein an identifier-referenced object is accessed through a reference containing an object identifier (OID) for the object. During operation, the system receives a request to access an object. Next, the system determines if the object is an address-referenced object or an identifier-referenced object. If the object is an address-referenced object, the system accesses the object using the associated address for the object. If the object is an identifier-referenced object, the system accesses the object by using the associated OID for the object to look up the address for the object, and then using the address to access the object.

Abstract: One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates garbage collection (GC) in a memory-management system that supports both mark-sweep (MS) objects and reference-counted (RC) objects, wherein both MS objects and RC objects can be marked and have a reference count. During a marking phase of a GC operation, the system first identifies roots for the GC operation. Next, the system marks referents of the roots. The system then recursively traverses referents of the roots which are MS objects and while doing so, marks referents of the traversed MS objects. During a subsequent sweeping phase of the GC operation, the system reclaims objects that are unmarked and have a zero reference count.