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Parallel-access memory management using fast-fits

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Abstract

The two most common approaches to managing shared-access memory-free lists and buddy systems-have significant drawbacks. Free list algorithms have poor memory access characteristics, and buddy systems utilize their space inefficiently. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to parallel-access memory management based on the fast-fits algorithm. A fast-fits memory manager stores free blocks in a tree structure, providing fast access and efficient space use. Since the fast-fits algorithm accesses fewer blocks than a free list algorithm, it reduces the amount of cache invalidation overhead due to the memory manager. Our performance experiments show that the parallel-access fast-fits memory manager allows significantly greater access rates than a serial-access fast-fits memory manager does. We note that shared-memory multiprocessor systems need efficient dynamic storage allocators, both for system purposes and to support parallel programs.

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  1. Department of Computer and Information Science, University of Florida, 32611-2024, Gainesville, Florida

    Theodore Johnson

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Johnson, T. Parallel-access memory management using fast-fits. Int J Parallel Prog 22, 617–644 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02577871

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02577871

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