What is the role of the OS when JVM executes a Java application? And why do we need the OS?

Question

I have done some reading on the internet and some people say that Java application is executed by the java virtual machine (JVM). The word \"execute\" confuses me a little bit.

Answer 1

We need the OS for all the things a C or C++ program would. The JVM does a few more things by default, but it doesn't replace anything the OS does. The only difference might be that sometimes you have Your Code [calls the] JVM [calls the] OS, or with compiled code you can have Your Code [calls the] OS

Similarly in C++ you might have Your Code [calls the] Boost [calls the] OS.

When your program is running in native code, it doesn't need the JVM as such. This is good because the JVM knows when to "stand back" and let the application run. However, not all the program will be compiled to native code for the rest of the life of the application, so you still need it.

Its is possible to use kernel by-pass devices/drivers with JNI, but Java doesn't directly support this sort of feature.

Answer 2

Well, I want to keep this simple. How you coded in ZX Spectrum, that is in old days, when really you don't use OS (even before DOS era, in pre-PC era). You write your code, and you have to manage all. In many cases there were no compiler, so your program was interpreted.

Next, it was realized that OS is great thing and the programs became simpler. Also, compiler was in broader use. I am talking about C++, for example. In those programs if you need to call to some OS function you added needed library and makes your call. One of the drawbacks where that now, your program is OS-depended, another problem was that your programs includes OS DLL in some fixed version. If another program on same station required that DLL in different version you were in trouble.

In the early days of the JVM history no JIT compiler where in used. So, your program run in interpreted mode. Your application has no longer needed to call OS directly, instead it use JVM for all it needs. JVM instead redirect some of the application calls to the OS. Think about JVM as mediator. One of the best features of the JVM where it's universality. You where not needed to stick to the specific OS (while in practice you do need to make some minor adjustments, when you are not stick to the Java requirement while your program "occasionally" works in some specific OS, for example you use C:\ for the files or assumptions upon Thread scheduler that is happen to be true on current OS, but generally JVM is not guaranteed to be true). Programmers of the JVM develop such API that can be easy in use for Java developer in one hand and it will be possible to map to any OS system calls on another hand.

JVM provides you more that simple wrapper to the OS. It has it's own memory model (thread synchronization) for example, that has some week grantees on it's own (it was totally revised in JDK 1.5, because it was broken). It also have garbage collection, it's initialize variables to null values (int i; i will be initialize to 0). That is JVM besides being moderator to OS is acting as helper code for your own application.

At some point JIT was added. It was added to reduce overhead that JVM creates. When some assumptions holds, usually after one execution of the code, command interpretation can be compiled to the machine code (I skip phase of byte code). It is optimization, and I don't know any case where you can effected.

In JDK 1.6 another optimization where added. Now, some objects in some circumstances can be allocated at the stack and not on the heap. I don't know, may be it has some side-effects, but it is example of what JVM can do for you.

And my last remark. When you compile your code, what really happens, your program is checked to be syntactically correct and then it byte-code generated (.class file). Java language use subset of the existing byte-codes (this is how AOP was implemented, using existing byte-codes that where not part of Java language). When java program is executed these byte codes are interpreted, they are translated on-the-fly to the machine instructions. If JIT is on, than some of the execution lines can be compiled to the machine language and reused instead of on-the-fly interpretation.

Answer 3

It seems to me that the JVM has "by-passed" the OS and directly instruct the CPU to execute the application. If so, why do we need the OS?

All C/C++ binaries (not just the JVM) run directly on the CPU. Once running, these programs can call into more machine code provided by the operating system to do useful things like reading files, starting threads, or using the network.

The JVM translates a Java program into instructions that run on the CPU. Behind the scenes, though, Java's threads, file i/o, and network sockets (to name a few) all contain instructions that call into the code provided by the operating system for threads/files/etc. This is one of the reasons you still need the OS.

Since it is already machine codes, do we need the JVM any more?

The JVM provides features that you don't get from the JIT compiler. At the end of the day the JVM is just running a lot of machine code, but not all of that machine code comes from the JIT (or from the interpreter). Some of that machine code does garbage collection, for example. That's why you need the JVM.

Answer 4

The underlying base O/S still has to do almost everything for the JVM, not least:

1. Input / Output
2. Memory management
3. Creation of threads (if using native threads)
4. Time sharing - i.e. allowing more than one process to run

and lots more besides!

Answer 5

Since it is already machine codes, do we need the JVM any more? compiled java programs are not the machine codes. [javac] compile [.java] file into bytecode [.class] file.Then these bytecodes are given to JRE [Java Run-time Environment]. Now the java interpreter comes in action that interpret the bytecode into native machine code that run on the CPU.

Answer 6

As we know OS does not Execute any program it provide Environment for processor to Execute if we talk about Environment it allocate Memory Loading file Giving instruction to the Processor,Manage the Address
of loaded data method work of the Processor is only Executing program this thing happen in c or any procedural programming Language if we see than OS Playing a very vital Role in this overhead on OS Because if we write a small simple program in c like Hello World which contains only one Main function when will compile it generate .exe file of more than one function which is taken from Library function so manage all thing by OS is tedious job so in JVM has given Relief to OS here the work of OS is only to load the JVM from hard disk to RAM and make the jvm Execute and allocate space for JVM to execute java Program here Momery allocation ,Loading on Byte code file from Hard disk,Address Management ,Memory Allocation and De-allocation is Done by JVM itself so OS is free it can do other work.jvm allocate or Deallocate memory based on What ever OS has given to Execute the java Program.

if we talk about Execution JVM Contains Interpreter as well as JIT compiler which converting the Byte code into Machine code of Required Function after Execution of the method Executable code of that method is destroyed thats why we can say java does have .EXE File