Patent ID: 6470361
Filing Date: 2002-10-22
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
In a computer system comprising a heap that stores a plurality of objects that are logically partitioned into at least a set of old objects that have each survived at least a predetermined number N of reclamation operations, a set of middle-aged objects that have each survived at least a predetermined number M of reclamation operations, wherein M is less than N, and a third set of objects distinct from said old and middle-aged sets of objects, and wherein the computer system performs a plurality of reclamation operations that use a remembered set to reclaim space in the heap, a method for maintaining the remembered set comprising the steps of:providing said remembered set from a previous reclamation operation; identifying said old or middle-aged objects that include an object reference that has been modified since the last reclamation operation; and creating an entry in a remembered set for a next reclamation period for a middle-aged object that is live and (i) identified in said remembered set from a previous reclamation operation or (ii) identified as having an object reference that has been modified since the last reclamation operation.