Cycles to Recycle: Garbage Collection on the IA-64

The IA-64, Intel's 64-bit instruction set architecture, exhibits a number of interesting architectural features. Here we consider those features as they relate to supporting garbage collection (GC). We aim to assist GC and compiler implementors by describing how one may exploit features of the IA-64. Along the way, we record some previously unpublished object scanning techniques, and offer novel ones for object allocation (suggesting some simple operating system support that would simplify it) and the Java "jsr problem". We also discuss ordering of memory accesses and how the IA-64 can achieve publication safety efficiently. While our focus is not on any particular GC implementation or programming language, we draw on our experience designing and implementing GC for the Intel Java Virtual Machine for the IA-64.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: IWMM
• Authors: Richard L. Hudson, J. Eliot B. Moss, Sreenivas Subramoney, Weldon Washburn
• Keywords: Hardware, Intel's 64-bit Instruction, Interesting Architectural Features, IWMM 2000, Particular Gc Implementation