SYSTEM AND METHOD FACILITATING UNMANAGED CODE PARTICIPATION IN GARBAGE COLLECTION

A system and method for facilitating unmanaged code participation in a memory management system employing a garbage collection system or service is provided. The invention provides for an unmanaged component to invoke a machine state capturing component that captures machine state (e.g., machine registers and stack pointer) into a machine state data structure and publishes the fact that the unmanaged component desires to participate in garbage collection pointer enumeration. The invention further provides for an unwind component to be invoked during garbage collection that determines register value(s) to facilitate participation in garbage collection pointer enumeration by the unmanaged component. As part of its participation in garbage collection, the unwind component can alter contents of the machine state data structure stored by the machine state capturing component. The invention further provides for an unmanaged component to invoke a machine state restoring component that restores the machine state (e.g., machine registers and stack pointer) saved by the machine state capturing component, which may have been altered by garbage collection, and to publish the fact that the unmanaged component no longer desires to participate in garbage collection pointer enumeration.