Restorable memory allocator

• US 9,880,761 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hack, Michel, Meng, Xiaoqiao, Tan, Jian, Wang, Yandong, Zhang, Li
• Primary Examiner(s): Bertram, Ryan
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLUST, JASON W
• Application Number:
  US14/980,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20170185324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0253 Garbage collection, i.e. reclamation of unreferenced memory
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0619 in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0685 Hybrid storage combining heterogeneous device types, e.g. hierarchical storage, hybrid arrays

Abstract

Various embodiments manage dynamic memory allocation data. In one embodiment, a set of memory allocation metadata is extracted from a memory heap space. Process dependent information and process independent information is identified from the set of memory allocation metadata based on the set of memory allocation metadata being extracted. The process dependent information and the process independent information at least identify a set of virtual memory addresses available in the memory heap space and a set of virtual memory addresses allocated to a process associated with the memory heap space. A set of allocation data associated with the memory heap space is stored in a persistent storage based on the process dependent information and the process independent information having been identified. The set of allocation data includes the process independent allocation information and a starting address associated with the memory heap space.

Claims

1. A method, executed by an information processing system, comprising:

extracting a set of memory allocation metadata from a memory heap;

identifying, from the extracted set of memory allocation metadata, process dependent information which comprises at least one of a set of pointers and a set of references identifying sets of available virtual addresses, sets of unavailable virtual addresses and the starting address of the memory heap space;

creating, from the process dependent information, process independent information which comprises offsets from the starting address of the memory heap space identifying the sets of available and the sets of unavailable virtual addresses; and

performing, in response to creating the process independent information, at least one of

storing a set of allocation data associated with the memory heap space in a persistent storage, and

replicating the set of allocation data to a different failure domain,

wherein the set of allocation data contains the process independent information and the starting address associated with the memory heap space and no other process dependent information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of memory allocation metadata is extracted from the memory heap space in response to detecting a change to the set of memory allocation metadata.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the process independent information stored in the set of allocation data is interpretable by another process.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after the process terminates, determining that a new memory heap space has been allocated to a new process;

retrieving the set of allocation data that has been stored for the memory heap space; and

configuring the new memory heap space based on the set of allocation data.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

satisfying, from the new memory heap based on the configuring, memory allocation requests for the new process according to the sets of virtual memory addresses available in the memory heap space prior to the process terminating.

6. An information processing system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

a restorable memory allocator communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, the restorable memory allocation configured to perform a method comprising;

extracting a set of memory allocation metadata from a memory heap space;

identifying, from the extracted set of memory allocation metadata, process dependent information which comprises at least one of a set of pointers and a set of references identifying sets of available virtual addresses, sets of unavailable virtual addresses and the starting address of the memory heap space;

creating, from the process dependent information, process independent information which comprises offsets from the starting address of the memory heap space identifying the sets of available and the sets of unavailable virtual addresses; and

performing, in response to creating the process independent information, at least one of

storing a set of allocation data associated with the memory heap space in a persistent storage, and

replicating the set of allocation data to a different failure domain,

wherein the set of allocation data contains the process independent information and the starting address associated with the memory heap space and no other process dependent information.

7. The information processing system of claim 6, wherein the process independent information stored in the set of allocation data is interpretable by another process.

8. The information processing system of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

after the process terminates, determining that a new memory heap space has been allocated to a new process;

retrieving the set of allocation data that has been stored for the memory heap space; and

configuring, based on the retrieving, the new memory heap space based on the set of allocation data.

9. The information processing system of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

satisfying, from the new memory heap based on the configuring, memory allocation requests for the new process according to the sets of virtual memory addresses available in the memory heap space prior to the process terminating.

10. A computer program product comprising comprises a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method, the method comprising:

identifying, from the extracted set of memory allocation metadata, process dependent information which comprises at least one of a set of pointers and a set of references identifying sets of available virtual addresses, sets of unavailable virtual addresses and the starting address of the memory heap space;

creating, from the process dependent information, process independent information which comprises offsets from the starting address of the memory heap space identifying the sets of available and the sets of unavailable virtual addresses; and

performing, in response to creating the process independent information, at least one of

storing a set of allocation data associated with the memory heap space in a persistent storage, and

replicating the set of allocation data to a different failure domain,

wherein the set of allocation data contains the process independent information and the starting address associated with the memory heap space and no other process dependent information.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the set of memory allocation metadata is extracted from the memory heap space in response to detecting a change to the set of memory allocation metadata.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the process independent information stored in the set of allocation data is interpretable by another process.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

after the process terminates, determining that a new memory heap space has been allocated to a new process;

retrieving the set of allocation data that has been stored for the memory heap space; and

configuring, based on the retrieving, the new memory heap space based on the set of allocation data.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

satisfying, from the new memory heap based on the configuring, memory allocation requests for the new process according to the sets of virtual memory addresses available in the memory heap space prior to the process terminating.