Methods and apparatus for generational dynamic management of computer memory

A computer-implemented method for dynamically managing memory associated with a computer system, the memory being divided into a plurality of blocks, the blocks each having an associated marker, the method comprising:

• performing a first garbage collection on a selected one of the blocks;
• performing a second garbage collection on the selected block, wherein the second garbage collection includes determining whether the selected block includes a first object which references a second object which is not included in the selected block based at least in part on a status indicated by the marker associated with the selected block, the status indicated by the marker including an indication of whether the reference to the second object was stored after the first garbage collection was performed;
• and
• when the reference to the second object was stored after the first garbage collection was performed, creating a new root array using the selected block.

A computer-implemented method for allocating a selected object in computer memory, the computer memory including a first section, a second section, and an array of words associated with elements in the second section, the words being arranged to indicate whether the contents of their associated elements reference objects in the first section, the method comprising:

• determining whether the first section is suitable for the selected object to be allocated;
• allocating the selected object when it is determined that the first section is suitable for the object to be allocated;
• and
• performing a garbage collection in the first section when it is determined that the first section is not suitable for the selected object to be allocated, wherein performing the garbage collection includes scanning the array of words to locate selected words that indicate that their associated elements in the second section reference particular objects in the first section, and wherein the particular objects in the first section are retained during the garbage collection.

A computer system comprising:

• memory including a first memory section and a second memory section that is segmented into a plurality of blocks;
• an array of markers, each marker corresponding to an associated block in the second memory section, the markers being configured to indicate when their associated blocks reference objects outside of their associated block;
• a set of root arrays, the root arrays being arranged to hold addresses of the objects, wherein selected markers from the array of markers are associated with the set of root arrays;
• a first garbage collector for reclaiming space within the first memory section;
• and
• a second garbage collector for reclaiming space within the second memory section based at least in part upon the status of the markers in the array of markers.

A computer system comprising:

• memory that is segmented into a plurality of blocks;
• an array of markers, each marker corresponding to an associated block in the memory, the markers being configured to indicate when their associated blocks reference objects outside of their associated block;
• a set of root arrays, the root arrays being arranged to hold addresses of the objects, wherein selected markers from the array of markers are associated with the set of root arrays;
• and
• a garbage collector for reclaiming space within the memory based at least in part upon the status of the markers in the array of markers.

A computer program product for dynamically managing memory associated with a computer system, the computer program product comprising:

• computer code that performs a first garbage collection in a first memory section of the computer;
• computer code that performs a second garbage collection on a second memory section of the computer, the second memory section being divided into a plurality of blocks, wherein the second garbage collection includes determining whether a block selected from the plurality of blocks includes a first object which references a second object which is not included in the selected block based at least in part on a status indicated by the marker associated with the selected block;
• and
• a computer readable medium that stores the computer codes.

A computer program product for causing a processor of a computer system to dynamically manage memory associated with the computer system, the computer program product comprising:

• computer code that performs a first garbage collection in a first memory section of the computer;
• computer code that performs a second garbage collection on a second memory section of the computer, the second memory section being divided into a plurality of blocks, wherein the second garbage collection includes determining whether a block selected from the plurality of blocks includes a first object which references a second object which is not included in the selected block based at least in part on a status indicated by the marker associated with the selected block;
• and
• a computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave that represents the computer codes.