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Including 16 KB Web page Dimension to Android

Android Development

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23 August 2024

Including 16 KB Web page Dimension to Android

Posted by Steven Moreland – Employees Software program Engineer, Sandeep Patil – Principal Software program Engineer

A web page is the granularity at which an working system manages reminiscence. Most CPUs at this time help a 4 KB web page dimension and so the Android OS and functions have traditionally been constructed and optimized to run with a 4 KB web page dimension. ARM CPUs help the bigger 16 KB web page dimension. When Android makes use of this bigger web page dimension, we observe an total efficiency enhance of 5-10% whereas utilizing ~9% further reminiscence.

To be able to enhance the working system efficiency total and to offer system producers an choice to make this trade-off, Android 15 can run with 4 KB or 16 KB web page sizes.

The very first 16 KB enabled Android system shall be made accessible on choose gadgets as a developer possibility. That is so you need to use the developer possibility to check and repair (if wanted) your functions to arrange for Android gadgets with 16 KB web page sizes within the close to future.

Particulars

In most CPUs, devoted {hardware} referred to as reminiscence administration models (MMUs) translate addresses from what a program is utilizing to a bodily location in reminiscence. This translation is finished on a page-size foundation. Each time a program wants extra reminiscence, the working system must become involved and fill out a “web page desk” entry, assigning that piece of reminiscence to a course of. When the web page dimension is 4 occasions bigger, there’s 4 occasions much less bookkeeping. So, the system can spend extra time ensuring your movies look nice, video games play nicely, and functions run easily, and fewer time filling out low-level working system paperwork.

In contrast to 32-bit/64-bit mode, a web page dimension shouldn’t be an Software Binary Interface (ABI). In different phrases, as soon as an software is mounted to be web page dimension agnostic, the identical software binary can run on each 4 KB and 16 KB gadgets.

In Android 15, we’ve refactored Android from the bottom as much as help working at completely different web page sizes, thus making it page-size agnostic.

Main OS Modifications

On new Android 15 based mostly gadgets:

All OS binaries are 16 KB aligned (-Wl,-z,max-page-size=16384). third occasion functions / libraries will not be 16 KB aligned.

All OS binaries are constructed with separate loadable segments (-Wl,-z,separate-loadable-segments) to make sure all reminiscence areas mapped right into a course of are readable, which some functions rely upon.

Lots of our different OS elements have been rewritten to keep away from assuming the web page dimension and to optimize for bigger web page dimension when accessible.

Filesystems

For performant operation, file system block dimension should match the web page dimension. EROFS and F2FS file programs have been made 16 KB suitable, as has the UFS storage layer.

On 4 KB programs, ELF executable file dimension will increase attributable to further padding added for 16 KB alignment (-Wl,-z,max-page-size=16384 possibility), however a number of optimizations assist us keep away from this value.

Sparse read-only file programs be certain that zero pages created for added padding for 16 KB alignment are usually not written to disk. For instance, EROFS is aware of a sure vary of a file is zero stuffed, and it’ll not have to do any IO if this a part of the file is accessed.
Learn-writeable file programs deal with zero pages on a case-by-case foundation. For instance, In Android 15, for recordsdata put in as a part of functions PackageManager reclaims this area.

Reminiscence Administration

The Linux web page cache has been modified to not learn forward for these additional padding areas, thereby saving pointless reminiscence load.
These pages are clean padding, and packages by no means learn this. It’s the area in-between usable components of this system, purely for alignment causes.

Linux Kernel

The Linux kernel is deeply tied to a particular web page dimension, so we should select which web page dimension to make use of when constructing the kernel, whereas the remainder of the working system stays the identical.

Android Functions

All functions with native code or dependencies must be recompiled for compatibility with 16 KB web page dimension gadgets.

Since most native code inside Android functions and SDKs have been constructed with 4 KB web page dimension in thoughts, they must be re-aligned to 16 KB so the binaries are suitable with each 4 KB and 16 KB gadgets. For many functions and SDKs, it is a 2 step course of:

Rebuild the native code with 16 KB alignment.
Take a look at and repair on a 16 KB system/emulator in case there are hardcode assumptions about web page dimension.

Please see our developer documentation for extra data.

NOTE: If you’re an SDK or instruments developer, it is best to add 16 KB help as quickly as attainable in order that functions can work on 16 KB utilizing your SDK or instruments.

Creating for 16 KB gadgets

There aren’t any manufacturing Android gadgets accessible at this time or anticipated for the Android 15 launch that help a 16 KB web page dimension. To be able to repair this downside, we’re taking steps to work with our companions to make a developer possibility accessible on current gadgets. This developer possibility is supposed for software improvement and testing. We’re additionally making a 16 KB emulator goal accessible for builders in Android Studio.

16 KB Developer possibility on system

In Android 15, we applied a developer possibility that lets customers swap between 16 KB and 4 KB web page dimension on the system with a purpose to take a look at their software with both of the web page sizes. This selection is out there on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Professional beginning within the Android 15 QPR1 Beta, and we’re collaborating intently with SoC and OEM companions to allow the choice on further gadgets quickly.

screen grab of 16KB developer option on device

When constructed for 16 KB pages, the identical binary will work with 4 KB and 16 KB gadgets, nevertheless the Linux kernel needs to be separate. To be able to resolve this downside, we’ve added a option to embrace an additional kernel you may swap to as a developer possibility. Incrementally compressed, with one copy for every web page dimension and takes ~12-16 MB of area on disk.

Utilizing the 16 KB developer possibility would require wiping the system as soon as and an unlocked bootloader. Following flashing, builders will be capable to swap between a 4 KB and 16 KB mode by toggling the developer possibility over a reboot.

If you’re a tool producer or SoC developer, see our directions on tips on how to allow and use this.

16 KB on x86_64 desktops

Whereas 16 KB pages are an ARM-only function, we acknowledge that many builders are utilizing emulators on x86_64 {hardware}. To be able to bridge this hole for builders, we’ve added help to emulate 16 KB web page dimension for functions on x86_64 emulators. On this mode, the Kernel runs in 4 KB mode, however all addresses uncovered to functions are aligned to 16 KB, and arguments to operate calls akin to mmap(…MAP_FIXED…) are verified to be 16 KB aligned.

To get began, you may obtain and run the 16 KB pages emulator contained in the Android Studio SDK supervisor. This fashion, even in case you don’t have entry to ARM {hardware}, you may nonetheless guarantee your functions will work with 16 KB web page dimension.

16 KB pages emulator inside the Android Studio SDK manager

Future

On this submit, we’ve mentioned the technical particulars of how we’re restructuring reminiscence in Android to get quicker, extra performant gadgets. Android 15 and AOSP work with 16 KB pages, and gadgets can now implement 16 KB pages as a improvement possibility. This required modifications from the underside to the highest of the working system, in our improvement tooling, and all through the Android ecosystem.

We’re trying ahead to software and SDK builders now to benefit from these choices and put together for extra performant and environment friendly Android gadgets in close to future.

The Obtain: simulating photo voltaic geoengineering, and AI-enabled accessibility

Artificial Intelligence

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23 August 2024

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The Obtain: simulating photo voltaic geoengineering, and AI-enabled accessibility

That is at the moment’s version of The Obtain, our weekday publication that gives a each day dose of what’s occurring on the earth of know-how.

Andrew Ng’s new mannequin helps you to mess around with photo voltaic geoengineering to see what would occur

AI pioneer Andrew Ng has launched a easy on-line software that permits anybody to tinker with the dials of a photo voltaic geoengineering mannequin, exploring what would possibly occur if nations try to counteract local weather change by spraying reflective particles into the environment.

The idea of photo voltaic geoengineering was born from the conclusion that the planet has cooled after huge volcanic eruptions. However critics concern that intentionally releasing such supplies might hurt sure areas of the world, discourage efforts to chop greenhouse-gas emissions, or spark conflicts between nations, amongst different unhealthy outcomes.

The purpose of Ng’s emulator, known as Planet Parasol, is to ask extra individuals to consider photo voltaic geoengineering, discover the potential trade-offs concerned in such interventions, and use the outcomes to debate and debate our choices for local weather motion. Learn the total story.

—James Temple

AI might be a recreation changer for individuals with disabilities

It’s regular, and possibly even sensible, to view rising applied sciences with skepticism. That’s very true as most new issues are constructed for almost all of individuals—which is to say individuals with out disabilities.

Nonetheless, there are exceptions to the rule. A chief instance is the iPhone, which had a comparatively massive display and a touch-based UI. And now, it appears AI might make these sorts of jumps in accessibility much more frequent throughout a wider vary of applied sciences. Learn the total story.

—Steven Aquino

This piece is from the following print difficulty of MIT Know-how Overview, which lands on Wednesday August 28. It’s devoted to celebrating 125 years of the journal and guarantees to be an awesome learn. For those who don’t already, subscribe now to get your copy.

Tech that measures our brainwaves is 100 years outdated. How will we be utilizing it 100 years from now?

It’s 100 years this week since EEG (electroencephalography) was first used to measure electrical exercise in an individual’s mind. The discovering was revolutionary. It helped individuals perceive that epilepsy was a neurological dysfunction versus a persona trait, for one factor (sure, actually).

The basics of EEG haven’t modified a lot during the last century—scientists and medical doctors nonetheless put electrodes on individuals’s heads to attempt to work out what’s occurring inside their brains. However we’ve been in a position to do much more with the data that’s collected, from studying how we predict to diagnosing mind and listening to problems. So what extra would possibly we be capable of do 100 years from now? Learn our story to seek out out.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly publication all in regards to the newest in well being and biotech. Join to obtain it in your inbox each Thursday.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the web to seek out you at the moment’s most enjoyable/essential/scary/fascinating tales about know-how.

1 We aren’t prepared for the creep of AI into our cameras
Capabilities embedded within the newest Google Pixel handset will additional destroy our means to consider what we see. (The Verge)
+ Is that this actually the path we need to go in? (MIT Know-how Overview)

2 Kamala Harris’ marketing campaign has joined Twitch
In a bid to maintain attracting youthful voters. (Wired $)
+ In the meantime, Trump is launching some type of crypto platform. (CNBC)
+ And persons are having a variety of enjoyable remixing JD Vance’s ‘By no means Trump’ remark. (NYT $)

3 NASA is about to resolve on Starliner’s return tomorrow
There’s quite a bit at stake, particularly for the 2 astronauts it’s set to ferry again from the ISS. (Ars Technica)

4 Contained in the loopy world of Palmer Luckey
Stressed, controversial and intelligent, the tech billionaire is a troublesome individual to pin down. (Pill)

5 There’s a brand new humanoid robotic on the town
Only one downside although: it doesn’t have legs (but.) (IEEE Spectrum)
+ A brand new system lets robots sense human contact with out synthetic pores and skin. (MIT Know-how Overview)

6 Can Ford wean America off its habit to huge vehicles?
It might be essential to transitioning to electrical automobiles, as heavier vehicles demand a lot extra of their batteries. (The Atlantic $)
+ Why greater EVs aren’t at all times higher. (MIT Know-how Overview)

7 Competitors for copper is extra intense than ever
Clear power is pushing up demand, and persons are stealing, combating and even dying to satisfy it. (Wired $)

8 Bored? Scrolling in your telephone would possibly make it worse
Possibly we must always all attempt to get higher at tolerating the discomfort of boredom once in a while. (WP $)
+ A doubtful pattern for non-traditional pets is taking off on TikTok. (The Guardian)

9 Hydrogel can be taught to play Pong
Researchers now plan to see what else it might do too—possibly even assist management robots. (New Scientist $)

10 Now you can cross-post from Instagram to Threads
Although be careful: content material for one doesn’t at all times translate effectively to the opposite. (TechCrunch)
+ Instagram’s additionally including a MySpace-esque ‘track on profile’ function. (The Verge)

Quote of the day

“We chase the approval of strangers on our telephones. We construct all method of partitions and fences round ourselves after which marvel why we really feel so alone.”

—Former US President Barack Obama presents his prognosis of society’s ills to the Democratic Nationwide Conference, Politico reviews.

The large story

This startup needs to seek out out if people can have infants in area

storks flying through space wearing astronaut helmets with babies in bundles

October 2023

Regardless of the burgeoning curiosity in deep area exploration and settlement, we nonetheless know little or no about what occurs to our reproductive biology once we’re in orbit. Scientists have began to invest on whether or not in vitro fertilization know-how is feasible past Earth. That’s one thing SpaceBorn United, a biotech startup, is looking for to pioneer.

It plans to ship a mini lab on a rocket into low Earth orbit, the place in vitro fertilization, or IVF, will happen. If it succeeds, the corporate’s analysis might pave the best way for future area settlements. Learn the total story.

—Scott Solomon

We will nonetheless have good issues

A spot for consolation, enjoyable and distraction to brighten up your day. (Obtained any concepts? Drop me a line or tweet ’em at me.)

+ Metallica’s gig in Moscow in 1991 was one for the ages. You may watch the complete factor on-line too!
+ For those who’ve been gripped by the necessity to do some summertime clearing out, right here’s how minimalists do it.
+ Please resist taking a photograph of your airport tray—you’re holding everybody up.
+ One of the crucial intense zombie video video games has been given a makeover.

NSF awards Northwestern with $26M for dexterous hand analysis

Robotics

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23 August 2024

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NSF awards Northwestern with M for dexterous hand analysis

Take heed to this text

The HAND challenge on the new Engineering Analysis Middle will develop dexterous robotic fingers to help with manufacturing and extra. | Supply: Northwestern College

The human hand is made up of 27 bones, 27 joints, 34 muscle tissue, and greater than 100 ligaments and tendons. With all of that {hardware}, it’s no shock that roboticists have struggled to equal that stage of dexterity. With a $26 million grant from the Nationwide Science Basis, Northwestern College will launch a brand new Engineering Analysis Middle, or ERC, specializing in enhancing the flexibility of robots to amplify human labor.

The Human AugmentatioN through Dexterity (HAND) ERC plans to develop a robotic hand with the dexterity to help people with manufacturing, caregiving, dealing with valuable or harmful supplies, and extra. The middle mentioned its aim is to construct robots able to clever and versatile greedy, high quality motor expertise, and hand-eye coordination. It additionally intends to develop applied sciences which might be versatile and simple to combine.

“This new NSF award is a historic milestone that builds on Northwestern’s well-recognized experience in robotics and human-machine methods,” said Eric Perreault, vp for analysis at Northwestern College. “The HAND proposal is daring and visionary.”

“It is going to have a long-lasting, constructive impact on manufacturing, meals processing, healthcare and lots of different areas that depend on dexterous manipulation,” he added. “Ed Colgate, Kevin Lynch, and their distinctive colleagues throughout Northwestern have constructed a world-class crew of commercial and educational companions to make sure this cutting-edge analysis creates sensible outcomes.”

The NSF grant will fund the brand new middle throughout 5 years, with the flexibility to resume for an additional $26 million for a further 5 years. This marks the primary ERC led by the college.

Core companions embody Carnegie Mellon College, Florida A&M, and Texas A&M. Further school assist is coming from Syracuse College, the College of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Massachusetts Institute of Expertise.

SITE AD for the 2024 RoboBusiness registration now open.
Register now.

Researchers plan to enhance robotic utility

Whereas robots already play an vital position in manufacturing and may enhance employees’ job high quality and lift their wages, Colgate mentioned their full potential has been restricted. Creating robotic fingers which might be as versatile and dexterous as human fingers will allow robots to increase human capabilities and increase business competitiveness, he mentioned.

However dexterity isn’t the brand new middle’s solely aim. The researchers mentioned in addition they wish to be certain that new robotic fingers are cheap, simple to function with out experience, sturdy, sturdy, and prepared for mass manufacturing. The robotics researchers plan to work throughout disciplines to interact consultants in training, coverage, and accessibility.

Northwestern touted potential advantages together with elevated employee productiveness, improved job alternatives, reshoring of producing, and decreased provide chain vulnerability. Different potential outcomes embody enhanced meals security, improved high quality of life, and democratization of know-how.

The HAND ERC research at Northwestern University includes teleoperated soldering.

The HAND ERC analysis is working to AI-powered dexterous expertise. Supply: Northwestern College

Researchers come from throughout Northwestern College

An knowledgeable in robots and haptics, J. Edward Colgate, a Walter P. Murphy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Northwestern’s McCormick Faculty of Engineering, will lead the middle.

Kevin Lynch, a professor of mechanical engineering at McCormick and director of Northwestern’s Middle for Robotics and Biosystems, will function the middle’s analysis director.

Different collaborators on the college embody McCormick’s Brenna Argall, Jian Cao, Matthew Elwin, Elizabeth Gerber, Todd Murphey, and Ryan Truby and the Faculty of Schooling and Social Coverage’s Lois Trautvetter.

Concerning the ERC program

Since its founding in 1985, the ERC program has supported convergent analysis, training, and know-how translation at U.S. universities. Every ERC unites members from academia, business, and authorities to supply transformational engineered methods together with engineering graduates who’re adept at innovation and primed for management within the world economic system.

“NSF’s Engineering Analysis Facilities ask large questions as a way to catalyze options with far-reaching impacts,” mentioned NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan.

“NSF Engineering Analysis Facilities are powerhouses of discovery and innovation, bringing America’s nice engineering minds to bear on our hardest challenges,” he mentioned. “By collaborating with business and coaching the workforce of the longer term, ERCs create an innovation ecosystem that may speed up engineering improvements, producing super financial and societal advantages for the nation.”

Since its founding in 1985, the NSF’s ERC program has funded 83 facilities (together with 4 introduced this week) that obtain assist for as much as 10 years. The facilities construct partnerships with instructional establishments, authorities businesses, and business stakeholders to assist innovation and inclusion in established and rising engineering analysis.

Swift facade design sample – The.Swift.Dev.

iOS Development

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23 August 2024

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Swift facade design sample – The.Swift.Dev.

2018/09/25
· 1 min learn

The facade design sample is a simplified interface over a posh subsystem. Let me present you an actual fast instance utilizing Swift.

What’s a facade?

The title of the facade sample comes from actual life constructing structure.

one exterior aspect of a constructing, normally the entrance

In software program growth this definition may be translated to one thing like all the things that’s exterior, hiding all the inner components. So the principle function of a facade is to supply a good looking API over some extra complicated ugly ones. 😅

Normally the facade design sample comes helpful when you’ve got two or extra separate subsystems that should work collectively to be able to accomplish some form of duties. It could disguise the underlying complexity, plus if something adjustments contained in the hidden strategies, the interface of the facade can nonetheless stay the identical. 👍

An actual-life facade sample instance

I promised a fast demo, so let’s think about an software with a toggle button that activates or off a selected settings. If the person faucets it, we alter the underlying settings worth within the default storage, plus we additionally wish to play a sound as an additional suggestions for the given enter. That’s three various things grouped collectively. 🎶

func toggleSettings() {
    // change underlying settings worth
    let settingsKey = "my-settings"

    let originalValue = UserDefaults.commonplace.bool(forKey: settingsKey)
    let newValue = !originalValue

    UserDefaults.commonplace.set(newValue, forKey: settingsKey)
    UserDefaults.commonplace.synchronize()

    // optimistic suggestions sound
    AudioServicesPlaySystemSound(1054);

    // replace UI
    self.switchButton.setOn(newValue, animated: true)
}

Congratulations, we’ve simply created the most straightforward facade! If this code appears acquainted to you, meaning you have already got utilized facades in your previous.

In fact issues may be extra difficult, for instance when you’ve got an online service and you’ll want to add some information and an attachment file, you may as well write a facade to cover the underlying complexity of the subsystems.

Facades are very easy to create, generally you received’t even discover that you’re utilizing one, however they are often extraordinarily useful to cover, decouple or simplify issues. If you wish to be taught extra about them, please test the linked articles. 😉

New PEAKLIGHT Dropper Deployed in Assaults Focusing on Home windows with Malicious Film Downloads

Hacking

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23 August 2024

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New PEAKLIGHT Dropper Deployed in Assaults Focusing on Home windows with Malicious Film Downloads

Aug 23, 2024Ravie LakshmananMalware / Menace Intelligence

Cybersecurity researchers have uncovered a never-before-seen dropper that serves as a conduit to launch next-stage malware with the last word purpose of infecting Home windows techniques with info stealers and loaders.

“This memory-only dropper decrypts and executes a PowerShell-based downloader,” Google-owned Mandiant mentioned. “This PowerShell-based downloader is being tracked as PEAKLIGHT.”

A number of the malware strains distributed utilizing this method are Lumma Stealer, Hijack Loader (aka DOILoader, IDAT Loader, or SHADOWLADDER), and CryptBot, all of that are marketed beneath the malware-as-a-service (SaaS) mannequin.

The start line of the assault chain is a Home windows shortcut (LNK) file that is downloaded through drive-by obtain strategies — e.g., when customers lookup a film on search engines like google and yahoo. It is value stating that the LNK information are distributed inside ZIP archives which might be disguised as pirated films.

The LNK file connects to a content material supply community (CDN) internet hosting an obfuscated memory-only JavaScript dropper. The dropper subsequently executes the PEAKLIGHT PowerShell downloader script on the host, which then reaches out to a command-and-control (C2) server to fetch extra payloads.

Mandiant mentioned it recognized completely different variations of the LNK information, a few of which leverage asterisks (*) as wildcards to launch the professional mshta.exe binary to discreetly run malicious code (i.e., the dropper) retrieved from a distant server.

In the same vein, the droppers have been discovered to embed each hex-encoded and Base64-encoded PowerShell payloads which might be ultimately unpacked to execute PEAKLIGHT, which is designed to ship next-stage malware on a compromised system whereas concurrently downloading a professional film trailer, doubtless as a ruse.

“PEAKLIGHT is an obfuscated PowerShell-based downloader that’s a part of a multi-stage execution chain that checks for the presence of ZIP archives in hard-coded file paths,” Mandiant researchers Aaron Lee and Praveeth D’Souza mentioned.

“If the archives don’t exist, the downloader will attain out to a CDN web site and obtain the remotely hosted archive file and reserve it to disk.”

The disclosure comes as Malwarebytes detailed a malvertising marketing campaign that employs fraudulent Google Search advertisements for Slack, an enterprise communications platform, to direct customers to phony web sites internet hosting malicious installers that culminate within the deployment of a distant entry trojan named SectopRAT.

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