Performing garbage collection using a virtual thread in operating system without kernel thread support

摘要

Techniques are provided to allow concurrent operation of threads in an operating system that does not support kernel threads. A first process may create a first thread. The first thread may create a second process. The second process is granted access to a portion of the address space of the first thread. Synchronization information is passed between the first thread and the second process over a communications channel.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
starting, in a computer running an operating system that does not support kernel threads, a virtual machine as a first process; creating a virtual thread, within the first process, to execute a task comprising returning unused memory of the virtual machine to a memory pool; creating a second process from the virtual thread, wherein the first process and the second process are each an independent schedulable entity to be run by the operating system and each has a separate address space; delegating execution of the task to the second process, wherein the delegating comprises passing, by the virtual thread to the second process, an instruction to perform the task; requesting, by the virtual thread, the operating system to grant, to the second process, access to at least a portion of the address space allocated to the first process; and executing, by the second process, the task using granted access to the portion of the address space.