Memory Management Strategies II - Virtual Memory
Virtual memory is a sophisticated technique that enhances memory management by allowing processes to operate in an extended address space, regardless of the physical RAM available. Demand paging efficiently loads necessary pages on-demand, while page replacement algorithms optimally manage memory when faults occur. Strategies like Copy-on-Write and the Working-Set Model further reduce overhead and improve process performance while addressing issues such as thrashing and kernel memory allocation.
Sections
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What we have learnt
- Virtual memory allows processes to function as if they have their own large memory space.
- Demand paging improves efficiency by loading only required pages into physical memory.
- Various page replacement algorithms help manage memory effectively during page faults.
- Thrashing can significantly impede system performance if too many processes vie for limited memory resources.
- Kernel memory management requires specialized techniques like the buddy system and slab allocation for optimal performance.
Key Concepts
- -- Virtual Memory
- A technique that creates the illusion of a large, contiguous memory space for each process, regardless of physical memory limitations.
- -- Demand Paging
- A memory management scheme that loads pages into physical memory only when they are needed during program execution.
- -- Page Fault
- An interrupt generated when a program tries to access a page that is not currently loaded in physical memory.
- -- Thrashing
- A scenario where excessive paging occurs, causing the system to spend more time swapping pages than executing useful processes.
- -- Buddy System
- A memory allocation algorithm that manages memory in blocks of sizes that are powers of two, minimizing fragmentation.
- -- Slab Allocation
- A memory management method that uses caches for frequently used data structures, reducing overhead and fragmentation.
Additional Learning Materials
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