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Pool(C++)


Pool, Vpool -- special-purpose memory allocators

Synopsis

   #include <Pool.h>
   namespace SCO_SC {
   

class Pool{ public: // Constructors, destructor Pool(size_t n); // see stddef.h ~Pool(); // Copy and assign private: Pool(const Pool& p); Pool& operator=(const Pool& p); public: // Allocate and free elements void* alloc(); void free(void* vp); void purge(); }; struct Vpool_stats { ... }; // see below class Vpool{ public: // Constructors, destructor Vpool(size_t max, size_t expected); ~Vpool(); // Copy and assign private: Vpool(const Vpool& p); Vpool& operator=(const Vpool& p); public: // Allocate, reallocate, and free elements void* alloc(); void* realloc(void* vp, size_t n); void* realloc_inplace(void* vp, size_t n); void purge(); // Performance analysis Vpool_stats stats()const; }; struct Vpool_stats{ unsigned count; double mem_util; size_t mem_alloced; size_t mem_inuse; size_t mem_waste; size_t mem_savings; size_t chunk_size; }; }

Description

Pools and Vpools are special-purpose storage managers which sit between the client's program and the built-in operators new and delete. Pools and Vpools provide superior time and space performance for certain kinds of common storage allocation problems. Pools provide superior performance for those cases when many objects of a common size (e.g., instances of a given class) are allocated and freed within a program; VPools provide superior performance for those cases when many objects of a common maximum size (e.g., Unix path names) are allocated and reallocated within a program.

Every Pool and Vpool (collectively, "pool") consists of a set of currently allocated storage elements, residing in some currently allocated internal memory. A storage element is a contiguous region of memory aligned on the same boundary as memory returned by malloc(3C) so that it may contain an object of any type. The function alloc is used to allocate a storage element from a pool's internal memory, and (for Pools) free is used to return the storage element to the internal memory, thus making it available for future allocs. If insufficient internal memory exists to allocate a storage element, a pool increases its internal memory by a large chunk by calling operator new. The function purge can be used to return all of a pool's internal memory to the C++ freestore (simultaneously freeing all the pool's currently allocated storage elements). Thus, the total amount of internal memory held by a given pool is (roughly) equal to the maximum amount of memory ever required since the last purge (or construction, if there were no purges).

Pool

All elements of the same Pool have the same size, but different Pools may have different size elements.

Constructors, destructor

Pool(size_t n); A Pool whose elements will each be n bytes in size. The Pool initially has no internal memory.

~Pool(); Destructor. Calls purge().

Copy and assign

Pools cannot be copied or assigned.

Allocate and free elements

void* alloc(); Allocates a new element from internal memory (enlarging the latter if necessary), and returns a pointer to it.

void free(void* vp); If vp is a pointer that was obtained from alloc(), the element it points to is returned to internal memory. Otherwise, the behavior is undefined.

void purge(); Returns all of this Pool's internal memory to the freestore, simultaneously freeing all the elements in this Pool.

Vpool

All elements of the same Vpool have the same maximum size. Different Vpools may have different maximum sizes. The most recently allocated element of a Vpool may be realloced to a size smaller than the maximum (in order to save space). Information useful in tuning Vpool performance can be obtained from function stats() in the form of a Vpool_stats structure (see below).

Constructors, destructor

Vpool(size_t max, size_t expected); A Vpool whose elements will each initially have max bytes, and an expected size (after reallocation) of expected bytes. The Pool initially has no internal memory. The second argument is used to optimize memory utilization (see Complexity).

~Vpool(); Destructor. Calls purge().

Copy and assign

Vpools cannot be copied or assigned.

Allocate, reallocate, and free elements

void* alloc(); Allocates a new element from internal memory (enlarging the latter if necessary), and returns a pointer to it.

void* realloc(void* vp, size_t n); If vp is a pointer to the most recently allocated element obtained from alloc(), and vp has not already been reallocated, then moves the element to a new (or possibly the same) location, giving it a size of n bytes, and returns a pointer to the new location. Otherwise returns 0 without affecting the Vpool.

void* realloc_inplace(void* vp, size_t n); Like realloc, except that it never moves the element. When possible (i.e., when the memory pointed to by vp is not pinned), realloc should be used instead of realloc_inplace, since the former leads to greater memory utilization. (See Complexity.)

void purge(); Returns all of this Vpool's internal memory to the freestore, simultaneously freeing all the elements in this Vpool. (Notice that although individual elements in a Vpool cannot be freed, all the elements can be freed by calling purge.)

Performance analysis

Vpool_stats stats()const; Returns a structure containing statistics about this Vpool.

struct Vpool_stats

Vpool statistics.

count; The number of elements currently in the Vpool.

mem_util; The current memory utilization. Equal to mem_inuse/(mem_inuse+mem_waste).

mem_alloced; The total internal memory currently allocated to the Vpool.

mem_inuse; The number of bytes currently holding elements.

mem_waste; The number of bytes currently wasted due to fragmentation.

mem_savings; The number of bytes which have been saved as a result of reallocing in this Vpool.

chunk_size; The underlying memory chunk size.

Complexity

For Pools, memory is internally allocated in chunks that are typically about 1000 bytes each, and utilization is 100%. For Vpools, memory is internally allocated in the smallest sized chunks of between 1000 and 10,000 bytes which will guarantee memory utilization of at least 80%. The guarantee of 80% is for the case when only realloc_inplace is used; if realloc is used, memory utilization will be much better. It is important when using realloc_inplace (and not so important when using realloc) that the user specify an accurate expected reallocation size; in general it is better to underestimate rather than overestimate the expected size. For both kinds of pools, once a memory chunk is allocated to a particular pool, that chunk is only released when purge() is called, or when the pool is destroyed.

Constructing either kind of pool takes constant time. Allocating an element takes constant time, and is done inline except when a new chunk must be added to the pool. Freeing an element within a Pool is done inline in constant time. Purging either kind of pool (and hence destroying either kind of pool) takes time proportional to the number of memory chunks currently allocated by the pool. In a Vpool, realloc takes time proportional to the new size of the element, and realloc_inplace takes constant time.

Notes

Individual Vpool elements cannot be freed. This was traded-off for the ability to reallocate elements.

Example

If a program is spending lots of time newing and deleting instances of some class T (e.g., nodes of a linked list), then the following will usually significantly speed up the program:

       #include <Pool.h>
       class T{
           ... 
           static Pool mypool;
           void* operator new(size_t){
               return mypool.alloc();
           }
           void operator delete(void* vp){
               mypool.free(vp);
           }
       };
       Pool T::mypool(sizeof(T));

References

malloc(S)
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