Java Virtual Machine

Java: Not a Traditional Programming Language

Java Java Byte

Source Java Compiler code (*.cl
(*.java) ass)

Java bytecode
(moves locally or via web)

Java Platform
Linux Win32/NT Solaris
Hardware
Java Platform
Java Platform & VM & Devices
 Java 2 XXX Edition
 Each edition is a developer treasure chest of tool
s and supplies that can be used with a particular
product:
 Java virtual machines that fit inside the range of cons
umer devices
 a library of APIs that are specialized for each type of
device
 tools for deployment and device configuration
 a profile, that is, a specification of the minimum set o
f APIs useful for a particular kind of consumer device
(set-top, screenphone, wireless, car, and digital assist
ant) and a specification of the Java virtual machine fu
nctions required to support those APIs
Java 2 Standard Edition
Java 2 Enterprise Edition
Java 2 Micro Edition
 Various VM
 JVM (J2EE & J2SE)
 Well-known Java Virtual Machine.
 CVM, KVM (J2ME)
 Addresses on vast small devices.
 Reduces some VM features to fit resource-
constrained devices.
 JCVM (Java Card)
 Addresses on smart cards.
 It has least VM features.
 J2ME : Configuration
 J2ME technology has two design centers--
things that you hold in your hand and
things you plug into a wall.

 Configurations are composed of the two

low-level APIs and optimized virtual
machines .
 J2ME : Profile
 A profile is a specification that details the
Java technology APIs, built on top of and
utilizing the underlying Configuration.

 Profiles specify both APIs and the

Configuration.
 Profiles:Foundation & MIDP
 MIDP:Mobile Information Device Profile
 Foundation is a set of JavaTM APIs which,
together with the Connected Device Confi
guration (CDC).
 MIDP is a set of Java APIs which, together
with the Connected Limited Device Config
uration (CLDC).
 CVM & CDC (1)
 CDC : Connected Device Configuration
 CVM is a Java 2 virtual machine designed for
devices needing the functionality of the Java 2
virtual machine feature set, but with a smaller
footprint.
 The Connected Device Configuration (CDC)
includes the CVM and basic class libraries to
support Java language applications on consumer
electronic and embedded devices.
 CVM & CDC (2)
 CDC is designed for the devices such as s
mart communicators, pagers, personal digi
tal assistants (PDAs), and interactive, digit
al television set-top boxes.

 Typically, these devices run a 32-bit micro

processor/controller and have more than 2
.0MB of total memory.
 KVM & CLDC (1)
 CLDC : Connected Limited Device Configuration
 K virtual machine (KVM) is a new, highly optimiz
ed Java virtual machine specifically designed for
resource-constrained consumer devices.
 CLDC outlines the most basic set of libraries and
JavaTM virtual machine features that must be pr
esent in each implementation of a Java 2 Platfor
m, Micro Edition environment on highly constrain
ed devices.
 KVM & CLDC (2)
 CLDC is designed for small, resource-constrained
devices, such as mobile phones, mainstream
personal digital assistants, and small retail
payment terminals.

 CLDC is suitable for devices with 16/32-bit

RISC/CISC microprocessors/controllers, and with
as little as 160 KB of total memory available.
JCVM (1)
JCVM (2)
 JCVM (3)
 JCVM has least VM features defined in
JVM SPEC.
 Unsupported Features:
 Dynamic Class Loading
 Security Manager
 Garbage Collection & Finalization
 Threads
 Cloning
 JCVM (4)
 Unsupported Keywords:
 native
 synchronized
 transient
 volatile
 Unsupported Types:
 char, float, double, long
 Arrays that is more than one dimension.
 JCVM (5)
 In general, none of Java core API classes
are supported in the Java Card platform.
 Some classes from java.lang package are
supported, but none of the rest are.
 Class java.lang.System is not supported. I
nstead, it supplies a class javacard.framew
ork.JCSystem, which provides an interface
to system behavior.
VM Mechanism
 Internal Architecture of JVM
Java Runtime System

Java bytecode
class m Exception,
(*.class)
ethodar Heap Thread,
Class Loader ea
& Verifier Security.

Java Stack,
Java Class
Register
Library

native
native execution engine
native method method
method linker
area

Operating System
 Method Area & Heap
 Each JVM implementation has a heap and
a method area.
 Heap is shared among all threads. It is the
runtime data area from which for all class
instances and arrays is allocated.
 Method area is shared among all threads.
It stores per-class structures such as the
runtime constant pool, field and method
data, the code for methods.
 Class Loader & Verifier
 Loading: Load binary representation of class (*.c
lass).
 Linking:
 Verification: Ensure that the binary representation is s
tructurally valid.
 Preparation: Create the static fields for the class or int
erface and initializing those fields to their standard de
fault values.
 Resolution: Determine concrete values from symbolic
references in the runtime constant pool .
 Initializing: Invoke its static initializers and the in
itializers for static fields declared in class.
 Register
 PC (program counter) register. It contains
the address of the Java virtual machine
instruction currently being executed.

 Each thread has its own PC register.

 If the method currently being executed by

the thread is native, the value of the Java
virtual machine's pc register is undefined.
 Java Stack
 Java Stack stores frames.
 Each thread has a private JVM stack,
created at the same time as thread.
 Java Stack holds local variables and partial
results, and plays a part in method
invocation and return.
 Java Stack : frame (1)
 A new frame is created each time a
method is invoked. A frame is destroyed
when its method invocation completes.
 A frame is used to store data and partial
results, as well as to perform dynamic
linking, return values for methods, and
dispatch exception.
 Java Stack : frame (2)
 Each frame has its own array of local
variables, its own operand stack, and a
reference to the runtime constant pool of
the class of the current method.
local variables

operand stack

others…
frame
Java Stack
 Java Stack : frame (3)
class LocalVariableExample {
public static void runClassMethod(int i, long l, float f) { }
public void runInstanceMethod(char c, double d, boolean b) {
}
}

runClassMethod() runInstanceMethod
()
0 int i 0 reference
1 char c
1 long l
2 double d
3 float f
4 boolean b
 Java Stack : frame (4)
iload_0
iload_1
iadd
istore_2

local variables

0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100 0 100

1 98 1 98 1 98 1 98 1 98
2 2 2 2 2 198

100 100 198

98

operand stack
 Java Stack : frame (5)
 class pointer
 previous frame pointer
 exception table
 ……
 Execution Engine (1)
 A virtual processor -- the core of JVM.
 Programming aspect : interpreter.
 Read bytecode stream then execute the in
structions.
 The performance can be improved by Jus
t-In-Time(JIT) compiler.
 Execution Engine (2)
iload 1

int y=x+5; bipush 5

iadd
istore 2

iload 1 bipush 5 iadd istore 2

21 1 16 5 96 54 2
 Java
Assembly Language
 Count.java
public class Count
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
int i;
for(i=0;i<10;i++)
{
System.out.println(java.lang.String.valueof(i));
}
}
}
 Count.j (1)
.class public Count
.super java/lang/Object

.method public <init>()V

aload_0
invokespecial java/lang/Object/<init>()V
return
.end method
 Count.j (2)

.method public static main([Ljava/lang/String;)V

.limit stack 3
.limit locals 4

getstatic java/lang/System/out Ljava/io/PrintStream;

astore_1
bipush 10
istore_2
 Count.j (3)
Loop:
bipush 10
iload_2
isub
invokestatic java/lang/String/valueOf(I)Ljava/lang/String;
astore_3
aload_1
aload_3
invokevirtual java/io/PrintStream/println(Ljava/lang/String;)V

iinc 2 -1
iload_2
ifne Loop

return
.end method
 Java Assembler
 Not an official assembler. There is no stan
dard for java assembly language.

 http://mrl.nyu.edu/~meyer/jasmin/
Class File Structure
 Tables of Class File
 Top Table:
 Basic information of the whole class.
 Constant Pool Table:
 Records string, constant, reference, method name, field name…
 Interface Table:
 What interface are implemented by this class.
 Field Table:
 The fields which class owns.
 Method Table:
 The methods which class owns.
 Attribute Table:
 The extra information of class, field, method… and so on.
 Magic Number
 0xCA, 0xFE, 0xBA, 0xBE

 Every class file contains these 4-byte data

in the header.
 Type Descriptor (1)
 Primitive Type:
 B : byte
 C : char
 D : double
 F : float
 I : int
 J : long
 S : short
 Z : boolean
 Type Descriptor (2)
 Class Type:
 L<fullclassname>;

 Ex1: Ljava/lang/String;
 Ex2: Ljava/io/PrintStream;
 Type Descriptor (3)
 Array Type:
 [<type>

 Ex1: [C  char[]
 Ex2: [[F  float[][]
 Ex3: [Ljava/lang/Thread;  Thread[]
 Type Descriptor (4)
 Method:
 (<argument_types>)<return_type>

 “V” indicates “void” (used in return type)

 Ex1: ()V
 void xyz() {…}
 Ex2: (SF[Ljava/lang/Thread;)I
 int xyz(short x, float y, Thread[] z) {…}
 Constant Pool
Tag Value Description
CONSTANT_Utf8 1 array of byte
CONSTANT_Integer 3 integer
CONSTANT_Float 4 float
CONSTANT_Long 5 long
CONSTANT_Double 6 Double
CONSTANT_Class 7 Tag-1 index
CONSTANT_String 8 Tag-1 index
CONSTANT_Fieldref 9 Tag-7 index + Tag-12 index
CONSTANT_Methodref 10 Tag-7 index + Tag-12 index
CONSTANT_InterfaceMethodref 11 Tag-7 index + Tag-12 index
CONSTANT_NameAndType 12 Tag-1 index(filed,method name)
+ Tag-1 index(type descriptor)
 Access Flag
Flag Value
ACC_PUBLIC 0x0001
ACC_PRIVATE 0x0002
ACC_PROTECTED 0x0004
ACC_STATIC 0x0008
ACC_FINAL 0x0010
ACC_SUPER 0x0020
ACC_SYNCHRONIZED 0x0020
ACC_VOLATILE 0x0040
ACC_TRANSIENT 0x0080
ACC_NATIVE 0x0100
ACC_INTERFACE 0x0200
ACC_ABSTRACT 0x0400
 out.j
.class public out
.super java/lang/Object

.method public <init>()V

aload_0
invokespecial java/lang/Object/<init>()V
return
.end method

.method public static main([Ljava/lang/String;)V

.limit stack 2

getstatic java/lang/System/out Ljava/io/PrintStream;

ldc “Hello World”
invokevirtual java/io/PrintStream/println(Ljava/lang/String;)V

return
.end method
 out.class
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 public + super
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 self class name
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 super class name
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 field number
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 method number
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 public
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 method name
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 method type
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 attribute number
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 method length
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 stack size
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 local variable size
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 bytecode length
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 bytecode content
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 exception size
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 extra attribute number
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 public + static
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 method name
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 method length
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 stack size
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 local variable size
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 bytecode length
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 bytecode content
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 exception size
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 extra attribute number
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 atttribute number
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 attribute data
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The End