Hoard memory allocator: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:21, 28 March 2009

Revision as of 13:10, 12 June 2009

Line 1:

{{Infobox Software

The '''Hoard memory allocator''', or '''Hoard''', is a [[memory allocation|memory allocator]] for [[Linux]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[Microsoft Windows]] and other [[operating systems]]. Hoard can improve the performance of [[multithreaded]] applications by providing fast, [[scalable]] [[memory management]] functions ([[malloc]] and [[Free (programming)|free]]). In particular, it reduces contention for the heap (the central data structure used in [[dynamic memory allocation]]) caused when multiple threads allocate or free memory, and avoids the [[false sharing]] that can be introduced by memory allocators. At the same time, Hoard has strict bounds on [[fragmentation (computer)|fragmentation]]<ref name=Berger2000>{{cite journal

|name = Hoard

|logo =

|screenshot =

|caption =

|collapsible =

|author = Emery Berger

|developer = Emery Berger <!-- ; Martin Bachtold ; Trey Boudreau ; John Calcote ; Robert Fleischman ; Bo Granlund ; John Hickin ; Paul Larson ; Maged Michael ; Kevin Mills ; Ganesan Rajagopal ; Benoit Rignault -->

|released = {{Start date|199x (???)}} <!-- {{Start date|1998|08|01}} -->

|discontinued =

|latest release version = 3.7.1

|latest release date = {{Start date and age|2007|05|25}}

|latest preview version =

|latest preview date = <!-- {{Start date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} -->

|frequently updated = no

|programming language =

|operating system = [[Unix-like]], [[Microsoft Windows]] and others

|platform = [[Cross-platform]]

|size =

|language = [[C++]]

|status = Active

|genre = [[Memory allocation]]

|license = [[GNU General Public License|GPL]] v2 and another one for [[proprietary software]]

|website = http://www.hoard.org/

}}

The '''Hoard memory allocator''', or '''Hoard''', is a [[memory allocation|memory allocator]] for [[Linux]], [[Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]], [[Microsoft Windows]] and other [[operating systems]]. Hoard is designed to be efficient when used by [[multithreaded]] applications on [[multiprocessor]] computers. Hoard is distributed under the [[GPL]], but can be purchased for [[proprietary software]].

==History==

TheIn '''Hoard memory allocator'''2000, orits '''Hoard''', is aauthor [[memory allocation|memoryEmery allocatorBerger]] forbenchmarked [[Linux]],some [[Solarisfamous (operatingmemory system)|Solaris]], [[Microsoft Windows]]allocators and other [[operating systems]].stated Hoard can improveimproves the performance of [[multithreaded]] applications by providing fast, [[scalable]] [[memory management]] functions ([[malloc]] and [[Free (programming)|free]]). In particular, it reduces contention for the heap (the central data structure used in [[dynamic memory allocation]]) caused when multiple threads allocate or free memory, and avoids the [[false sharing]] that can be introduced by memory allocators. At the same time, Hoard has strict bounds on [[fragmentation (computer)|fragmentation]]<ref name=Berger2000>{{cite journal

| author = Berger, E.D.

| coauthors = McKinley, K.S.; Blumofe, R.D.; Wilson, P.R.

Line 10 ⟶ 41:

| url = http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=356989.357000

| accessdate = 2008-01-06

| doi = 10.1145/356989.357000

}}</ref>.

}}</ref><ref>above PDF freely available at http://www.cs.umass.edu/~emery/hoard/asplos2000.pdf</ref>.

In 2004, Michael Maged implemented a new memory allocator and benchmarked it with Hoard and some other famous memory allocators. He stated its new memory allocator is more efficient than Hoard<ref name=Maged2003>{{cite journal

| author = Berger,Maged E.DM. Michael

| coauthors = Thomas, J. Waston

| year = 20002004

| title = Scalable Lock-Free Dynamic Memory Allocation

| journal = ACM SIGPLAN Notices

| volume = 3539

| issue = 116

| pages = 117–12835-46

| url = http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=356989996841.357000 996848

| accessdate = 2008-01-06

| doi = 10.1145/996841.996848

}}</ref><ref>above PDF freely available at http://www.research.ibm.com/people/m/michael/pldi-2004.pdf</ref>. Then Michael Maged contributed to improve Hoard's quality<ref>See THANKS file in source code</ref>.

Nowadays, Hoard is still maintained and improved and softwares rely on it<ref>[http://ineluttabile.it/node/6 Toffanin Mauro's blog] Commercial [[Linux distribution]]s may use '''Hoard''' instead of [[GNU libc]]</ref><ref>[http://www.gnutelephony.org/index.php/GNU_Common_C%2B%2B#Downloading_and_Documentation GNU Telephony] GNU Common C++ uses lib'''hoard'''</ref>.

==References==

Line 16 ⟶ 64:

==External links==

* {{cite journal

| id=Berger2000

| author = Berger, E.D.

| coauthors = McKinley, K.S.; Blumofe, R.D.; Wilson, P.R.

| year = 2000

| title = Hoard: a scalable memory allocator for multithreaded applications

| journal = ACM SIGPLAN Notices

| volume = 35

| issue = 11

| pages = 117–128

| url = http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=356989.357000

| accessdate = 2008-01-06

| doi = 10.1145/356989.357000

}}

* [http://www.hoard.org/ The Hoard web page].

* [http://www.cs.umass.edu/~emery Emery Berger], Hoard's author and a professor at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]].