Professional Documents
Culture Documents
9
Memory
9-1
sysMemTop( )
WDB_POOL_SIZE
FREE_RAM_ADRS
VxWorks
RAM_LOW_ADRS
LOCAL_MEM_LOCAL_ADRS
9-2
Many of the above macros are parameters for the component /hardware/ memory/BSP Memory Conguration.
The macro LOCAL_MEM_LOCAL_ADRS is the address of the start of RAM on your board. It is typically equal to 0.
Most BSPs dene sysPhysMemTop( ) as the top of physical RAM; sysMemTop( ) is always the top of the system memory pool. The difference is the congurable constant USER_RESERVED_MEM.
Low memory often contains the interrupt vector table, and space for the boot line and an exception message. More detailed memory maps are available in the Programmers Guide appendix for your CPU architecture.
Dynamic loading of object modules. Passing string arguments to tasks spawned on target. Creation of variables from WindSh.
The target server manages the pool, keeping overhead such as block lists on the host. The initial size of the target server memory pool is congured by WDB_POOL_SIZE. The default is 1/16 of sysMemTop ( ) - FREE_RAM_ADRS. Additional memory is silently allocated from the system memory pool if needed.
Tornado Training Workshop Copyright Wind River Systems Wind River Systems
9-3
The target server memory pool helps to reduce memory fragmentation on the target.
malloc( ). Creating tasks (stack and TCB). VxWorks memory requests. Can modify USER_RESERVED_MEM to reserve memory for application-specic use. May need to modify sysPhysMemTop( ) (or just LOCAL_MEM_SIZE) when adding memory to your board. Check your BSP documentation.
To add off-board memory: void memAddToPool (pPool, poolSize) pPool must be the local address of the memory.
Tornado Training Workshop Copyright Wind River Systems Wind River Systems
9-4
USER_RESERVED_MEM,
a parameter for the component /hardware/memory/ BSP Memory Conguration, species how many bytes below the top of physical RAM the system memory pool ends. The default value is 0.
The local address of off-board memory on a VME bus can be computed as follows:
q q
Read hardware doc to nd the VMEbus address of the memory. Use sysBusToLocalAdrs( ) to compute the local address corresponding to the VMEbus address.
Adding off-board memory to the system memory pool is usually a bad idea. A subsequent call to malloc() will give you a block of either onboard or off-board memory, leaving uncertainty about the worst-case access time to this block. Instead, consider creating a separate partition for this off-board memory.
Allocating/Releasing Memory
To dynamically allocate memory:
Free memory is stored in a linked list. Some (small) overhead for each malloc( ).
9-5
8 byte header per malloc( ). Always rounds up to a 4 byte boundary. When block is free, 8 bytes within body may be used for free list links. Minimum block size is 8 bytes (header) + 8 bytes (free list links) = 16 bytes.
See the memPartLib man page for more information about the overhead for your architecture.
Debugging Options
Default malloc( ) debugging: If request too large, log an error message. Default free( ) debugging:
q q
Check block for consistency. If corrupted: suspend task, log error message.
9-6
Setting any MEM_BLOCK_XXX option automatically causes the MEM_BLOCK_CHECK option to be set.
Examining Memory
Use the Browser. Enter the memory partition ID in the Show box.
Free Blocks
Total Allocated
Free List
9-7
Total target memory usage within both the target server pool and the system memory pool is displayed with bar graphs in the browser.
9-8
A possible race condition can arise between calls to memFindMax( ) and malloc( ).
Fine Tuning
For fast, deterministic allocation of xed size buffers, use message queues instead of malloc( ). message queue
bufReturn( ) ptr ptr
...
ptr
bufGet( )
... buffers
9-9
Create a library bufferLib of routines for managing your buffers. For example:
/* pBlock points to memory for array of buffers (NULL => malloc) */ /* Put addresses of buffers in a message queue */ /* Returned BUF_ID contains the newly created msgQId */ BUF_ID bufCreate (pBlock, numBufs, bufSize); /* Calls msgQReceive() to get next buffer */ void *bufGet (bufId); /* Calls msgQSend() to return the buffer */ void bufReturn (bufId, ptr);
Alternative: Implement your own xed-size block allocator, guarding the block free-list with a mutex, taskLock(), or intLock().
9-10
Returns a partition id (PART_ID), or NULL on error. The memory for this partition (pPool) may be taken from:
q q
A separate memory board. A block allocated from the system memory partition. The top of the CPU boards RAM.
9-11
PART_ID,
Specify nonzero USER_RESERVED_MEM to reserve memory at the top of RAM for your applications exclusive use.
9-12
->ptr=memPartAlloc(partId,200)
new symbol ptr added to symbol table. ptr = 0x23ff2ec: value = 37652632 = 0x23e8898
->show partId
status bytes blocks ave block max block ------------ ---------------- ----------current free 99776 1 99776 99776 alloc 208 1 208 cumulative alloc 208 1 208 Tornado Training Workshop Copyright Wind River Systems Wind River Systems
9-13
Summary
Standard C routines are used for dynamic memory allocation. To congure the system memory pool:
q q
For fast, deterministic allocation of xed size buffers, use message queues instead of malloc( ). Create separate memory partition for off-board memory, or to help reduce fragmentation.
9-14