.. _glossary-p:
=============================
Memory Management Glossary: P
=============================
.. include:: alphabet.txt
.. glossary::
padding
Padding is redundant :term:`memory (2)` within the memory
:term:`allocated` to an :term:`object`. It is usually inserted
because of :term:`alignment` restrictions on the fields of the
object or on the object itself.
Padding is a form of :term:`internal fragmentation`.
padding method
.. mps:specific::
A :term:`format method` that is called by a :term:`moving
<moving garbage collector>` :term:`pool <pool>` to create
a :term:`padding object`. See :c:type:`mps_fmt_pad_t`.
padding object
.. mps:specific::
A :term:`formatted object` that consists of
:term:`padding`. One of three types of formatted objects,
the other two being :term:`client objects`
and :term:`forwarding objects`.
page
A :term:`virtual memory` system usually deals with
:term:`memory (1)` :term:`blocks` of fixed size as
units for :term:`paging`. These are known as *pages*.
Pages are often 4 :term:`kB <kilobyte>` or 8 kB in size. This
size is determined by the addressing hardware of the machine.
page fault
An exception when accessing :term:`virtual memory`,
usually resulting in a :term:`page` being fetched from disk.
A page fault is an exception occurring during the translation
of :term:`virtual addresses` to
:term:`physical addresses`. "Page fault"
usually means an access to a page that has been :term:`paged
out` and hence requires fetching from disk, but it is
sometimes also used to mean :term:`invalid page fault` or
:term:`protection fault`.
.. seealso:: :term:`paged in`, :term:`paged out`, :term:`paging`, :term:`read fault`, :term:`write fault`.
page marking
Page marking is a form of :term:`card-marking <card marking>`
where the :term:`card` is the same size as a :term:`page`
page protection
.. see:: :term:`protection`.
Many operating systems support protection of :term:`memory
(2)` :term:`pages`. Individual pages may be protected
against a combination of read, write or execute accesses by a
process.
page table
In a :term:`virtual memory` system, it is common to map
between :term:`virtual addresses` and
:term:`physical addresses` by means of a
data structure called a *page table*.
The :term:`page` number of an address is usually found from
the most significant bits of the address; the remaining bits
yield the offset of the :term:`memory location` within the
page. The page table is normally indexed by page number and
contains information on whether the page is currently in
:term:`main memory`, and where it is in main memory or on
disk.
Conventional page tables are sized to the virtual
:term:`address space` and store the entire virtual address
space description of each process. Because of the need to keep
the virtual-to-physical translation time low, a conventional
page table is structured as a fixed, multi-level hierarchy,
and can be very inefficient at representing a sparse virtual
address space, unless the allocated pages are carefully
aligned to the page table hierarchy.
.. seealso:: :term:`inverted page table`.
paged in
In a :term:`virtual memory` system, :term:`memory (2)` is
described as *paged in* if it is available in :term:`physical
memory (1)`.
.. similar:: :term:`swapped in`.
.. opposite:: :term:`paged out`.
.. seealso:: :term:`paging`.
paged out
In a :term:`virtual memory` system, :term:`memory (2)` is
described as *paged out* if it is not available in
:term:`physical memory (1)`.
.. similar:: :term:`swapped out`.
.. opposite:: :term:`paged in`.
.. seealso:: :term:`paging`.
paging
In a :term:`virtual memory` system, *paging* is the act of
transferring :term:`pages` between :term:`physical
memory (1)` and :term:`backing store` (usually disk).
When pages need to be paged out, a heuristic is used to select
ones that will not be needed soon; "least recently used" is a
popular one.
.. similar:: :term:`swapping`.
.. seealso:: :term:`paged in`, :term:`paged out`.
palimpsest
A :term:`block` of :term:`memory (2)` that has been
:term:`allocated`, :term:`freed (1)` (or :term:`reclaimed`),
and then allocated again. Such memory may contain data from
the previous use if portions of it remain uninitialised.
This commonly occurs on the :term:`stack`, especially if the
compiler allocates large :term:`stack frames` in
anticipation of allocating data structures on the stack.
If the palimpsest is being :term:`scanned <scan>`
:term:`conservatively <conservative garbage collection>`, such
left-over data may cause :term:`unreachable` :term:`objects`
to appear :term:`reachable` and thus become :term:`floating
garbage`. If it is scanned :term:`precisely <exact garbage
collection>`, such left-over data, if treated as
:term:`pointers`, is a bug.
parallel garbage collection
.. aka:: *concurrent garbage collection*.
A parallel or concurrent :term:`collector (2)` executes
simultaneously with the :term:`mutator`, usually on a
multi-processor machine.
Concurrent :term:`garbage collection` must cope with the
mutator changing :term:`objects` while collection
occurs. The problem is similar to that of :term:`incremental
GC <incremental garbage collection>`, but harder. The solution
typically involves :term:`barriers (1)`.
.. similar:: :term:`incremental <incremental garbage collection>`.
.. seealso:: :term:`replicating garbage collector`.
.. bibref:: :ref:`Doligez & Leroy (1993) <DOLIGEZ93>`, :ref:`Doligez & Gonthier (1994) <DOLIGEZ94>`.
parked state
.. mps:specific::
One of the four states an :term:`arena` can be in (the
others being the :term:`clamped state`, the
:term:`postmortem state`, and the :term:`unclamped
state`). In the parked state, no :term:`garbage
collection` is in progress, no object motion occurs and
the staleness of :term:`location dependencies` does not
change. Call :c:func:`mps_arena_park` or
:c:func:`mps_arena_collect` to put an arena into the
parked state.
perfect fit
If an :term:`allocation <allocate>` request is satisfied
exactly from a :term:`free block` with no
:term:`fragmentation`, this is said to be a :term:`perfect
fit`.
.. seealso:: :term:`allocation mechanism`, :term:`best fit`, :term:`free block`.
phantom reachable
phantomly reachable
In :term:`Java`, an object is *phantom reachable* if it is
neither :term:`strongly <strongly reachable>` nor
:term:`softly <softly reachable>` nor :term:`weakly reachable`
and has been :term:`finalized <finalization>` and there is a
path from the :term:`roots` to it that contains at
least one :term:`phantom reference`.
When the Java :term:`collector (1)` determines that an object
is phantom reachable, the :term:`reference objects` containing
the phantom references are enqueued.
The Java specification says that the phantom reference is not
cleared when the reference object is enqueued, but actually,
there's no way in the language to tell whether that has been
done or not. In some implementations, JNI weak global
references are weaker than phantom references, and provide a
way to access phantom reachable objects.
.. seealso:: :term:`reachability <reachable>`.
.. link::
`Class java.lang.ref.PhantomReference <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/lang/ref/PhantomReference.html>`_, `Reference Objects and Garbage Collection <http://pawlan.com/monica/articles/refobjs/>`_.
phantom reference
In :term:`Java` terminology, *phantom reference* is used to
mean a :term:`reference` encapsulated in a :term:`reference
object` of class ``PhantomReference``.
Phantom references form one of three kinds of :term:`weak
reference (1)` in Java. They are handy for performing
clean-ups after an object has :term:`died <dead>` and been
:term:`finalized <finalization>`.
.. seealso:: :term:`phantom reachable`.
.. link::
`Class java.lang.ref.PhantomReference <http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/lang/ref/PhantomReference.html>`_, `Reference Objects and Garbage Collection <http://pawlan.com/monica/articles/refobjs/>`_.
physical address
.. aka:: *absolute address*.
Physical :term:`addresses` are used to index into
:term:`physical memory (1)`. On some systems, they are called
*absolute addresses*.
In a :term:`virtual memory` system the application program
handles :term:`virtual addresses` and these
are translated to physical addresses by the :term:`MMU`.
.. opposite:: :term:`virtual address`.
physical address space
The physical :term:`address space` is the space of
:term:`physical addresses`.
.. opposite:: :term:`virtual address space`.
physical memory (1)
.. aka:: *real memory*.
Physical memory is :term:`memory (1)` that is wired to
directly to the processor, addressable by :term:`physical
address`.
This term is basically synonymous to :term:`main memory`, but
is used in contrast to :term:`virtual memory` and
:term:`backing store`.
While modern computers usually have lots of :term:`virtual
memory`, performance is still closely related to the
quantity of physical memory available. If a system has
insufficient physical memory, it may :term:`thrash`.
.. similar:: :term:`main memory`.
physical memory (2)
.. aka:: *physical storage*.
Physical memory is :term:`memory (1)` on physical storage
devices, such as :term:`RAM` or disks.
This term is often contrasted to :term:`virtual address space`
that might not be mapped to any actual storage.
.. similar:: :term:`memory (1)`.
physical storage
.. see:: :term:`physical memory (2)`.
pig in the python
.. aka:: *pig in the snake*.
In a :term:`generational <generational garbage collection>`
collector, when long-lived :term:`objects` are
:term:`allocated` in :term:`nursery space`, collection effort
will be wasted as those objects survive and are
:term:`promoted <promotion>` from :term:`generation` to
generation. This is especially noticeable in a :term:`copying
collector <copying garbage collection>`, where long-lived
objects will be copied many times. This difficulty is similar
to that of a python which swallows its prey whole and is
somewhat immobilized as it digests it.
Modern collectors permit objects to be allocated directly into
appropriate generations or pools to avoid this problem.
Long-lived objects can be allocated directly into long-term
generations. Large objects can be allocated directly into
pools with special support for large objects (such as copying
by remapping, incremental copying, or not copying at all).
.. seealso:: :term:`generational garbage collection`.
.. mps:specific::
A :term:`pool` can be configured to allocate into a
specific :term:`generation` in its :term:`generation
chain` by setting the :c:macro:`MPS_KEY_GEN`
:term:`keyword argument` when calling
:c:func:`mps_pool_create_k`.
pig in the snake
.. see:: :term:`pig in the python`.
pinning
.. aka:: *nailing*.
In :term:`copying garbage collection`, an object may not be
movable because it is the target of an :term:`ambiguous
reference` or because it is referenced by :term:`foreign code`
that does not co-operate with the collector. Such an object is
said to be *pinned*.
placement policy
.. see:: :term:`allocation policy`.
platform
.. mps:specific::
The term *platform* is used to refer to the combination of
operating system, processor architecture, and compiler.
See :ref:`topic-platform`.
plinth
.. mps:specific::
The plinth is a program module providing the MPS with all
the support functions it needs from the execution
environment. The plinth removes the need for external
libraries, by getting the support from the :term:`client
program`. See :ref:`topic-plinth`.
pointer
*Pointer* data types represent a reference to an
:term:`object` or a :term:`location <memory location>`.
Pointers may be specialized by the type of the object referred
to.
Typically, pointers are represented by an :term:`address`, but
they can be more complicated when they need to carry more
information. For example, when the referent is smaller than a
:term:`word`, an offset within the word might be needed.
.. similar:: :term:`address`, :term:`reference`.
.. seealso:: :term:`tag`.
pool
.. mps:specific::
A pool is responsible for requesting memory from the
:term:`arena` and making it available to the :term:`client
program` via :c:func:`mps_alloc` or via an
:term:`allocation point`. Multiple pools can coexist in
one arena. Pools belong to the type
:c:type:`mps_pool_t`. See :ref:`topic-pool` and the
:ref:`pool`.
pool class
.. mps:specific::
A value of type :c:type:`mps_pool_class_t` describing a
class of :term:`pools` that manage memory according to
particular policy. See :ref:`pool`.
postmortem state
.. mps:specific::
One of the four states an :term:`arena` can be in (the
others being the :term:`unclamped state`, the
:term:`clamped state`, and the :term:`parked state`). In
the postmortem state, objects do not move in memory, the
staleness of :term:`location dependencies` does not
change, memory occupied by :term:`unreachable` objects is
not recycled, all memory protection is removed, and memory
may be in an inconsistent state. Call
:c:func:`mps_arena_postmortem` to put an arena into the
postmortem state.
precise garbage collection
.. see:: :term:`exact garbage collection`.
precise reference
.. see:: :term:`exact reference`.
precise root
.. see:: :term:`exact root`.
premature free
.. aka:: *use after free*.
A *premature free* or *use after free* occurs when
:term:`memory (2)` is :term:`deallocated <free (1)>`, but is
later accessed.
Under :term:`manual memory management`, this usually occurs
when one part of a program decides it has finished using a
memory :term:`block`, and is unaware that another part of the
program is still using it. This is rare under :term:`automatic
memory management`.
.. seealso:: :term:`double free`.
premature promotion
.. see:: :term:`premature tenuring`.
premature tenuring
.. aka:: *premature promotion*.
When a short-lived :term:`object` :term:`allocated` in a
:term:`generational garbage collector <generational garbage
collection>` is :term:`promoted <promotion>` (due to poor
timing) into a less-frequently collected :term:`generation`.
This *prematurely tenured* object may become :term:`garbage`
very soon after promotion, but will not be :term:`reclaimed`
for some time because it is now in a less frequently collected
generation.
This problem is essentially due to quantization error: all
objects in a generation are treated as if they have the same
age, even though they range from as old as the previous
promotion cycle to new-born.
Modern :term:`collectors (1) <garbage collector>` offer
several remedies for premature tenuring. If the client program
knows that it is entering a phase that will create many
short-lived objects, it can forestall all promotion until it
knows it is done with those objects. Thus no objects will be
prematurely promoted: they will all be seen as garbage.
Another solution is to create :term:`buckets` within
generations to more accurately classify objects by age and
only promote those which have reached a certain minimum.
primary storage
.. see:: :term:`main memory`.
promotion
.. aka:: *tenuring*.
Promotion or tenuring is the act of moving an :term:`object`
from its current :term:`generation` to an *older* one (one
that contains objects that are expected to survive longer).
"Tenuring" is used particularly about promotion to the oldest
generation.
.. seealso:: :term:`generational garbage collection`.
protectable root
.. mps:specific::
A :term:`root` which the MPS may :term:`protect
<protection>` with a :term:`write barrier`. A protectable
root is created by specifying the :term:`root mode`
:c:macro:`MPS_RM_PROT` when calling a registration
function such as :c:func:`mps_root_create`.
protected
A region of :term:`memory (2)` is said to be protected if
there is a :term:`barrier (1)` on that region.
.. opposite:: :term:`unprotected`
protection
.. aka:: *memory protection*, *page protection*.
Many operating systems support protection of :term:`memory
(2)` :term:`pages`. Individual pages may be protected
against a combination of read, write or execute accesses by a
process.
A process which attempts a protected access will trigger a
:term:`protection fault`. Protection is typically implemented
in hardware by the :term:`MMU` as part of the support for
:term:`virtual memory` .
Pages can be protected for a number of reasons: a
:term:`generational <generational garbage collection>` or
:term:`incremental <incremental garbage collection>`
:term:`garbage collector` may want to place :term:`barriers
(1)` on pages; an operating system may want to protect pages
for security, or to implement "copy-on-write" or
"demand-zero-filled" pages.
.. seealso:: :term:`read fault`, :term:`write fault`.
.. bibref:: :ref:`Appel et al. (1988) <AEL88>`, :ref:`Singhal et al. (1992) <SINGHAL92>`, :ref:`Hosking & Moss (1993) <HM93>`.
protection exception
.. see:: :term:`protection fault`.
protection fault
.. aka:: *barrier hit*, *protection exception*, *protection violation*.
A protection fault is an exception or trap which occurs when a
process attempts to access :term:`memory (2)` which has been
:term:`protected <protection>`.
.. relevance::
Some :term:`garbage collectors` use handlers for
protection faults to provide :term:`barriers (1)`.
.. seealso:: :term:`General Protection Fault`, :term:`segmentation violation`.
protection violation
.. see:: :term:`protection fault`.