Abstract: A method and system for dynamically managing storage of data objects generated during execution of a computer program in a dedicated area of computer memory, such as a heap, employs a map to indicate which areas of the heap are inaccessible to the program. Such areas constitute garbage which is potentially returnable to a data structure which identifies free storage available for reallocation to the program. By choosing map entries corresponding to portions of storage whose size is of the same order of magnitude as a predetermined minimum unit size for the data structure, a small map can be used. Such a map can be scanned more quickly than a larger map of higher granularity to identify only relatively larger areas of garbage for reallocation.

Abstract: An arrangement and method (400) for optimising stop-the-world sweep time in garbage collection by using an additional bit-vector meta-mark-map (300) whose bits respectively map onto groups of bits of in a bit-vector mark-map (200). This meta-mark-map enables a scan to be made much faster, in particular on large heaps.