System and method for sharing objects between applications in a virtual runtime environment

• US 8,245,205 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2009
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mariani, Rico, Brumme, Christopher W., Dussud, Patrick H., Trowbridge, Sean E.
• Primary Examiner(s): DENG, ANNA CHEN
• Application Number:
  US12/623,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070957A1
• Time in Patent Office: 998 Days
• Field of Search: 717/140, 717/141, 717/146, 717/147
• US Class Current: 717/140
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44563 Sharing

Abstract

The techniques and mechanisms described herein are directed at sharing objects between applications executing in a virtual runtime environment. The techniques include compiling a cpu-independent file to create executable instructions that are associated with an application that is executable in a virtual runtime environment. A constructor associated with a shareable class defined within the cpu-independent file is executed to create an instance of a shareable object. The shareable object is then persisted in a manner such that other applications executing in the virtual runtime environment may access the shareable object. The technique may be performed during pre-JIT compilation or just-in-time compilation of the cpu-independent file. The execution of the constructor is performed at a restricted security level that prevents access to changeable information when generating static data for the static members of the shareable object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

compiling a central processing unit (cpu)-independent file to create executable instructions associated with an application, the application being executable in a virtual runtime environment;

executing a constructor during creation of the executable instructions, the constructor being associated with a shareable class defined within the cpu-independent file and being configured to create a plurality of shareable objects associated with the shareable class;

creating a dynamic entry structure for the plurality of shareable objects associated with the shareable class, the dynamic entry structure including a storage that contains non-garbage collectable static members and a garbage collection handle that references an object array data structure that contains garbage collectable static members; and

persisting, based at least in part on the dynamic entry structure and the object array data structure, shareable object information associated with the plurality of shareable objects by populating the storage with the non-garbage collectable static members and populating the garbage collection handle with references to the object array data structure for the garbage collectable static members, the persisted shareable object information being associated with the plurality of shareable objects available to each application to execute in a common virtual runtime environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling is performed by a just-in-time compiler.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein persisting the shareable object information further comprises copying the plurality of shareable objects from a heap to a restricted memory area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the restricted memory area is designated as a read only memory area.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising locking the plurality of shareable objects before copying and unlocking the plurality of shareable objects once the shareable object information is copied.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein compiling is performed by a pre-JIT compiler.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-JIT compiler outputs a native image after compiling the cpu-independent file, the native image being compatible with a local operating system.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the shareable object information is stored in a file associated with the native image.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying that each shareable object is safe to share before persisting the sharable object information associated with the plurality of shareable objects.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the constructor is executed under security restrictions that do not allow access to changeable information when generating static data for static members of the plurality of shareable objects.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

updating a first entry in a shareable object table to reference the dynamic entry structure;

creating respective entries within the object array data structure for each of the shareable objects that are garbage collectible members, the respective entries identifying a location for the respective shareable objects within a heap; and

populating the heap during execution of the constructor.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having stored computer-executable instructions for performing operations comprising:

compiling a central processing unit (cpu)-independent file to create executable instructions associated with an application, the application being executable in a virtual runtime environment;

executing a constructor during creation of the executable instructions, the constructor being associated with a shareable class defined within the cpu-independent file and being configured to create a plurality of shareable objects associated with the shareable class;

creating a dynamic entry structure associated with the shareable class, the dynamic entry structure including a storage that contains non-garbage collectable static members and a garbage collection handle that references an object array data structure that contains garbage collectable static members;

creating respective entries within the object array data structure for the garbage collectable static members, each entry identifying a location for the respective garbage collectable static member within a heap; and

sharing, based at least in part on the dynamic entry structure and the object array data structure, the plurality of shareable objects with other applications executing in the virtual runtime environment, the virtual runtime environment being common to the application and the other applications.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising verifying that each shareable object is safe to share before sharing the object.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the constructor is executed under security restrictions that do not allow access to changeable information when generating static data for static members of the plurality of shareable objects.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further comprising:

updating an entry in a shareable object table to reference the dynamic entry structure; and

populating the object array and the heap during execution of the constructor.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein sharing a sharable object comprises:

locking access to the shareable object;

deep copying the shareable object stored on a heap to a writable portion of a read only memory;

copying a dynamic entry referencing a location for the shareable object to the writable portion of the read only memory;

setting the writable portion to read only;

updating an entry in a shareable ID map to point to the shareable object within the read only memory;

updating the entry in the shareable table to point to the shareable object within the read only memory; and

unlocking access to the shareable object.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory into which a plurality of instructions are loaded, the plurality of instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, performing operations comprising;

compiling a central processing unit (cpu)-independent file to create executable instructions associated with an application, the application being executable in a virtual runtime environment;

executing a constructor during creation of the executable instructions, the constructor being associated with a shareable class defined within the cpu-independent file and being configured to create a plurality of shareable objects associated with the shareable class;

creating a dynamic entry structure and an object array data structure for the plurality of shareable objects associated with the shareable class, wherein the constructor stores non-garbage collectible members in a storage of the dynamic entry structure and stores garbage collectible members in the object array data structure; and

persisting, based at least in part on the dynamic entry structure and the object array data structure, shareable object information associated with the plurality of shareable objects by populating the storage with the non-garbage collectable members and populating a garbage collection handle with references to the object array data structure for the garbage collectable members in a manner that allows other applications, executing in a virtual runtime environment common to the virtual runtime environment that the application is executable in, to access the plurality of shareable objects.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the compiling is performed by a just-in-time compiler.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein persisting the shareable object information comprises copying the plurality of shareable objects from a heap to a restricted memory area.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the restricted memory area is designated as a read only memory area.