Title
Reducing program image size by extracting frozen code and data
Abstract
Constraints on the memory size of embedded systems require reducing the image size of executing programs. Common techniques include code compression and reduced instruction sets. We propose a novel technique that eliminates large portions of the executable image without compromising execution time (due to decompression) or code generation (due to reduced instruction sets). Frozen code and data portions are identified using profiling techniques and removed from the loadable image. They are replaced with branches to code stubs that load them in the unlikely case that they are accessed. The executable is sustained in a runnable mode.Analysis of the frozen portions reveals that most are error and uncommon input handlers. Only a minority of the code (less than 1%) that was identified as frozen during a training run, is also accessed with production datasets.The technique was applied on three benchmark suites (SPEC CINT2000, SPEC CFP2000, and MediaBench) and results in image size reductions of up to 73%, 92%, and 85% per suite, The average reductions are 59%, 79%, and 78% per suite.
Year
DOI
Venue
2004
10.1145/1017753.1017800
EMSOFT
Keywords
Field
DocType
executable image,program image size,frozen code,reduced instruction set,memory size,frozen portion,code compression,image size,code generation,loadable image,image size reduction,embedded system
Suite,Computer science,Instruction set,Profiling (computer programming),Code generation,Real-time computing,Spec#,Image resolution,Executable,Dead code
Conference
ISBN
Citations 
PageRank 
1-58113-860-1
2
0.37
References 
Authors
12
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Daniel Citron120.37
Gadi Haber2559.19
Roy Levin3652594.78