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Module2 2

The document discusses various techniques for optimizing dynamic memory allocation in games and applications, including: 1) Custom allocators that run in user mode can avoid the performance cost of context switching to the kernel for each memory request. 2) Stack-based allocators allocate a large contiguous block of memory and use a pointer to allocate from the top, avoiding fragmentation. 3) Pool allocators preallocate a large block of exact size and divide it into equally sized slots for allocating objects, ensuring no fragmentation.

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Sandip Das
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37 views

Module2 2

The document discusses various techniques for optimizing dynamic memory allocation in games and applications, including: 1) Custom allocators that run in user mode can avoid the performance cost of context switching to the kernel for each memory request. 2) Stack-based allocators allocate a large contiguous block of memory and use a pointer to allocate from the top, avoiding fragmentation. 3) Pool allocators preallocate a large block of exact size and divide it into equally sized slots for allocating objects, ensuring no fragmentation.

Uploaded by

Sandip Das
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Memory Management

Dr. S. Graceline Jasmine, SCOPE

Vellore Institute of Technology, Chennai


Optimizing Dynamic Memory
Allocation
• Memory affects performance in two ways:
– Dynamic memory allocation
• Memory allocation cost
– Memory access patterns
• Small data- continuous memory rather than spread
across
Optimizing Dynamic Memory
Allocation (Cont.,)
• Limitation
– Context-switch
• from user mode into kernel mode, process the request,
and then context-switch back to the program.
• How to overcome?
– custom allocator
• Satisfy requests from a preallocated memory block
• Runs in user mode alone
• Avoid the cost of context switch
Stack-Based Allocators
 Allocate a large contiguous block
 A pointer to the top of the stack is maintained
Double-Ended Stack Allocators
• A single memory block can actually contain
two stack allocators

Example: Midway’s Hydro Thunder arcade game


The bottom stack is used for loading and unloading levels (race tracks)
The top stack is used for temporary memory blocks that are allocated
and freed every frame.
This allocation scheme worked extremely well and ensured that Hydro
Thunder never suffered from memory fragmentation problems
Pool Allocators
• Applications which require lots of small
blocks of memory during runtime.
• Preallocating a large block of memory whose
size is an exact multiple of the size of the
elements that will be allocated
• A pool allocator allocates a chunk of
memory once, and divides that memory into
slots/bins/pools which fit exactly M instances
of size N
Pool Allocators - Example
As an example, consider we want to have a
maximum of 256 bullets in flight at the same
time, each bullet having a size of 32 bytes.

Thus, the pool allocator would allocate


256*32 = 8192 bytes once, dividing it into
slots which are then used for
allocating/freeing objects of size 32.
Single-Frame and Double-Buffered
Memory Allocators
All game engines allocate at least some
temporary data during the game loop. This
data is either discarded at the end of each
iteration of the loop or used on the next frame
and then discarded. This allocation pattern is
so common that many engines support single-
and double-buffered allocators
Single-Frame Allocators
• Implemented by stack based allocator
• At the beginning of each frame, the stack’s “top”
pointer is cleared to the bottom of the memory
block.
• The allocator will be cleared at the start of every
frame
• Limitation
Memory block allocated out of the single-
frame buffer will only be valid during the current
frame
Double-Buffered Allocators
• A double-buffered allocator allows a block of memory
allocated on frame i to be used on frame (i + 1).
• For example, memory allocated during frame n is
cleared at the end of frame n + 1, and those allocated
during frame n + 1 will be cleared at the end of frame n
+ 2.
• This allows us to nicely pass information to the next
frame without worrying about leaking memory long-
term.
• It will come in handy for things like velocity
calculations, which are things that require us to know
the position of the object in the last frame.
Memory Fragmentation
 Major problem with dynamic heap allocations is that
memory can become fragmented over time.

 When the number of holes becomes large, and/or the


holes are all relatively small, we say the memory has
become fragmented.

 The problem with memory fragmentation is that


allocations may fail even when there are enough free bytes
to satisfy the request.

 Virtual memory can resolve this problem, but most of the


game engines do not make use of virtual memory.
Memory Fragmentation (Cont.,)
Avoiding Fragmentation with Stack
and Pool Allocators
A stack allocator is impervious to
fragmentation because allocations are always
contiguous, and blocks must be freed in an
order opposite to that in which they were
allocated
Avoiding Fragmentation with Stack
and Pool Allocators
• A pool allocator is also free from
fragmentation problems. Pools do become
fragmented, but the fragmentation never
causes premature out of- memory conditions
as it does in a general-purpose heap. Pool
allocation requests can never fail due to a lack
of a large enough contiguous free block,
because all of the blocks are exactly the same
size.
Avoiding Fragmentation with Stack
and Pool Allocators

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