Managing memory with multiple heaps

You can use XL C/C++ to create and manipulate your own memory heaps, either in place of or in addition to the default XL C/C++ runtime heap.

You can create heaps of regular memory or shared memory, and you can have any number of heaps of any type. The only limit is the space available on your operating system (your machine's memory and swapper size, minus the memory required by other running applications). You can also change the default runtime heap to a heap that you have created.

Using your own heaps is optional, and your applications can work well using the default memory management provided (and used by) the XL C/C++ runtime library. However, using multiple heaps can be more efficient and can help you improve your program's performance and reduce wasted memory for a number of reasons: