Runtime Machine Supported Method Level Caching

• US 20090013128A1
• Filed: 07/05/2007
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peterson, Robert R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/113
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/449 Object-oriented method invocation or resolution

Abstract

A computer system includes a disk space comprising at least one type of memory and an operating system for controlling allocations and access to the disk space. A runtime machine runs applications through at least one of the operating system or directly on at least one processor of the computer system. In addition, the runtime machine manages a selected runtime disk space allocated to the runtime machine by the operating system and manages a separate method cache within the selected virtual disk space. The virtual machine controls caching within the method cache of a separate result of at least one method of the application marked as cache capable. For a next instance of the method detected by the runtime machine, the runtime machine accesses the cached separate result of the method in lieu of executing the method again.

Claims

1. A system for supporting method level caching by a runtime machine, comprising:

a disk space of a computer system comprising at least one type of memory;

an operating system for controlling allocations and access within the disk space;

a runtime machine for running at least one application through at least one of the operating system or on at least one processor of the computer system, the runtime machine for managing a selected virtual disk space from among the disk space allocated to the runtime machine by the operating system and for managing a separate method cache within the selected virtual disk space;

the runtime machine for controlling caching within the method cache of a separate result of at least one method of the application suitable for caching; and

the runtime machine for accessing the cached separate result of the at least one method for a next instance of the at least one method from the method cache.

2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the runtime machine for compiling the source code of the application into bytecode; and

the runtime machine while compiling the source code of the application into bytecode for detecting the at least one method, determining whether the at least one method is a candidate for caching, and marking the at least one method as cache capable within the bytecode if the at least one method is a candidate for caching.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the runtime machine for executing at least one of source code and compiled bytecode for the application at runtime, detecting a current method in the at least one of the source code and compiled bytecode, determining whether the current method is suitable for caching, and marking the current method as cache capable within the at least one of the source code and compiled bytecode if the current method is suitable for caching.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the runtime machine for reading the at least one method within the application to determine whether the at least one method is marked as cache capable through at least one of a tagged interface, an annotation, and a class-level modifier.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the runtime machine for supporting a user interface;

the runtime machine for prompting a user via the user interface with a list of methods for the application; and

the runtime machine, responsive to the user selecting one or more of the list of methods for the application as cache capable, for marking the selected methods as cache capable in the application code run by the runtime machine for the application.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

the runtime machine for accessing a cache property file stored in a storage location separate from the application;

the cache property file for specifying a selection of methods of the application for marking as cache capable; and

the runtime machine for marking the selection of methods of the application as cache capable in the application code run by the runtime machine for the application.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the runtime machine for accessing the cached separate result of the method for a next instance of the at least one method from the method cache, further comprises:

the runtime machine, responsive to detecting the at least one method is cache capable, for performing a hashing function to calculate a hash index for the at least one method using at least one object graph of at least one argument of the at least one method as inputs to the hashing function;

the runtime machine for searching the method cache with the hash index;

the runtime machine, responsive to detecting a cache hit to the hash index, for determining whether the method entry is valid;

the runtime machine, responsive to determining that the method entry is valid, for using the method entry from the method cache as the result of the at least one method;

the runtime machine, responsive to determining that the method entry is not valid, for executing the at least one method and caching the result of the at least one method execution in the method cache at the hash index location; and

the runtime machine, responsive to detecting a cache miss to the hash index, for executing the at least one method and caching the result of the at least one method execution in the method cache at the hash index location.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the runtime machine is a virtual machine.

9. A method for supporting method level caching by a runtime machine, comprising:

managing a selected virtual disk space from among the disk space allocated to the runtime machine by an the operating system and for managing a separate method cache within the selected virtual disk space;

running, by the runtime machine, at least one application through at least one of the operating system or on at least one processor of the computer system;

controlling, by the runtime machine, caching within the method cache of a separate result of at least one method of the application suitable for caching; and

accessing, by the runtime machine, the cached separate result of the at least one method for a next instance of the at least one method from the method cache.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

responsive to the runtime machine compiling the source code of the application into bytecode;

detecting the at least one method within the application;

determining whether the at least one method is a candidate for caching; and

marking the at least one method as cache capable within the bytecode if the at least one method is a candidate for caching.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

executing, by the runtime machine, application code for the application at runtime by detecting a current method in the application code;

determining, by the runtime machine, whether the current method is suitable for caching; and

marking, by the runtime machine, the current method as cache capable within the application code if the current method is suitable for caching.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

reading, by the runtime machine, the at least one method within the application to determine whether the at least one method is marked as cache capable through at least one of a tagged interface, an annotation, and a class-level modifier.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

prompting a user via the user interface with a list of methods for the application; and

responsive to the user selecting one or more of the method within the list of methods for the application as cache capable, marking by the runtime machine the selected methods as cache capable in the application code run by the runtime machine for the application.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

accessing a cache property file stored in a storage location separate from the application;

reading a selection of methods of the application for marking as cache capable from cache capable settings in the cache property file; and

marking the selection of methods of the application as cache capable in the application code run by the runtime machine for the application.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein accessing the cached separate result of the method for a next instance of the at least one method from the method cache, further comprises:

responsive to detecting the at least one method is cache capable, performing a hashing function to calculate a hash index for the at least one method using at least one object graph of at least one argument of the at least one method as inputs to the hashing function;

searching the method cache with the hash index;

responsive to detecting a cache hit to the hash index, determining whether the method entry is valid;

responsive to determining that the method entry is valid, using the method entry from the method cache as the result of the at least one method;

responsive to determining that the method entry is not valid, executing the at least one method and caching the result of the at least one method execution in the method cache at the hash index location; and

responsive to detecting a cache miss to the hash index, executing the at least one method and caching the result of the method execution in the method cache at the hash index location.

16. A program product comprising a storage-type computer-usable medium including a computer-readable program for supporting method level caching by a runtime machine, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on a computer cause the computer to:

manage a selected virtual disk space from among the disk space allocated to the runtime machine by an operating system and for managing a separate method cache within the selected virtual disk space;

run at least one application through at least one of the operating system or on at least one processor of the computer system;

control caching within the method cache of a separate result of at least one method of the application suitable for caching; and

access the cached separate result of the at least one method for a next instance of the at least one method from the method cache.

17. The program product of claim 16, wherein said computer-readable program is transmitted over a network.

18. The program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

detect the at least one method within the source code of the application being compiled into bytecode;

determine whether the at least one method is a candidate for caching; and

mark the at least one method as cache capable within the bytecode if the at least one method is a candidate for caching, wherein the byte code is executed at runtime.

19. The program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

detect a current method in application code of the application when executed at runtime;

determine whether the current method is suitable for caching; and

mark the current method as cache capable within the application code if the current method is suitable for caching.

20. The program product of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable program when executed on the computer further causes the computer to:

prompt a user via the user interface with a list of methods for the application; and

responsive to the user selecting one or more of the method within the list of methods for the application as cache capable, mark the selected methods as cache capable in the application code run by the runtime machine for the application.