CLDC reference and HotSpot implementations tested

The EEMBC has published certified performance scores for the Sun Microsystems Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) reference implementation and CLDC HotSpot implementation.

The EEMBC has published certified performance scores for the Sun Microsystems Connected Limited Device Configuration (CLDC) reference implementation and CLDC HotSpot implementation, the first Java implementations to obtain certified performance scores based on EEMBC's GrinderBench benchmarks.

To obtain the GrinderBench scores, the Sun CLDC reference implementation and CLDC HotSpot implementation were run on a Sharp Zaurus SL-5500.

In results verified by the EEMBC Certification Laboratories (ECL), the CLDC reference implementation achieved cold-start and warm-start GrinderMark scores of 20.1 and 19.8, respectively.

The CLDC HotSpot implementation, which includes features that propel faster application execution as well as more efficient resource management, achieved cold-start and warm-start GrinderMark scores of 150.7 and 162, respectively.

The six GrinderBench benchmarks are Chess, Regular Expressions, kXML, PNG Decoding, ParallelBench, and Cryptography.

GrinderBench reports both cold-start and warm-start scores for each of these benchmarks and for the consolidated GrinderMark.

The two categories of scores capture instances where performance on a repetitive task, such as repeatedly running a benchmark, increases after one or more iterations, as well as indicating where an implementation shows near-peak performance even from a cold start.

"The GrinderMark is created by taking the individual benchmark scores in the GrinderBench suite and applying an EEMBC-standardised formula, and hence it is not expressed in any units", said Markus Levy, EEMBC President.

"The ultimate value of the GrinderMark will be established when other providers of Java solutions step up to the plate along with Sun and publish certified GrinderBench scores".

Only platforms that comply with the Java Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) for the CLDC are accepted by EEMBC for benchmarking and score certification.

The CLDC is the foundation of the Java runtime environment, targeting small, resource-constrained devices such as mobile phones, mainstream personal digital assistants, and retail payment terminals.

Sun offers two virtual machines to support the CLDC.

The K virtual machine (KVM) is provided as part of the CLDC reference implementation.

CLDC with KVM is suitable for devices with 16/32bit RISC/CISC microprocessors/controllers, and with as little as 160Kbyte of total memory available for the Java technology stack.

Of this memory, 128Kbyte is for the storage of the actual virtual machine and libraries, and the remainder is for Java applications.

The CLDC HotSpot virtual machine is targeted for newer-generation devices with larger available memory.

The CLDC HotSpot implementation is suitable for devices with 32bit RISC/CISC microprocessors/controllers, and with 512Kbyte to 1Mbyte of total memory available for the Java technology stack, including applications.

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