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Vertical Object Layout and Compression for Fixed Heaps

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Semantics and Algebraic Specification

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 5700))

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Abstract

Research into embedded sensor networks has placed increased focus on the problem of developing reliable and flexible software for microcontroller-class devices. Languages such as nesC [10] and Virgil [20] have brought higher-level programming idioms to this lowest layer of software, thereby adding expressiveness. Both languages are marked by the absence of dynamic memory allocation, which removes the need for a runtime system to manage memory. While nesC offers code modules with statically allocated fields, arrays and structs, Virgil allows the application to allocate and initialize arbitrary objects during compilation, producing a fixed object heap for runtime. This paper explores techniques for compressing fixed object heaps with the goal of reducing the RAM footprint of a program. We explore table-based compression and introduce a novel form of object layout called vertical object layout. We provide experimental results that measure the impact on RAM size, code size, and execution time for a set of Virgil programs. Our results show that compressed vertical layout has better execution time and code size than table-based compression while achieving more than 20% heap reduction on 6 of 12 benchmark programs and 2–17% heap reduction on the remaining 6. We also present a formalization of vertical object layout and prove tight relationships between three styles of object layout.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sun Microsystems Laboratories, Menlo Park

    Ben L. Titzer

  2. UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles

    Jens Palsberg

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  1. Ben L. Titzer
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  2. Jens Palsberg
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of California, Los Angeles, 4531K Boelter Hall, 90095-1596, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Jens Palsberg

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Titzer, B.L., Palsberg, J. (2009). Vertical Object Layout and Compression for Fixed Heaps. In: Palsberg, J. (eds) Semantics and Algebraic Specification. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 5700. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04164-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04164-8_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-04163-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-04164-8

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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