Real-time Memory Management System for a Java Processor

This paper presents a memory management system offering real-time guarantees for Java object access, along with accurately predictable memory management functions. The primary goal of the design is to allow precise worst-case execution time prediction for all memory management and object access functions. The system is designed to work with fragmented memory and offers simplified reference checking for scoped memory implementations. The presented linking model uses special runtime data structures which enable deterministic execution of object access instructions. While maintaining predictability, the system offers quick access to object data in memory; thus reducing the complexity required to implement an instruction execution unit. The results presented include time guarantees achieved for memory management and object access functions, size of the runtime image and synthesis estimates for area and speed.