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Buffer and Cache

Buffers temporarily store input or output data until a process can handle it. Cache stores frequently accessed disk data in memory to improve performance for multiple processes accessing the same files. The key difference is that buffers hold data until a process is ready for it, while cache hopes the data will be accessed from memory more than written to reduce disk input/output.

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Nicholas Williams
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163 views2 pages

Buffer and Cache

Buffers temporarily store input or output data until a process can handle it. Cache stores frequently accessed disk data in memory to improve performance for multiple processes accessing the same files. The key difference is that buffers hold data until a process is ready for it, while cache hopes the data will be accessed from memory more than written to reduce disk input/output.

Uploaded by

Nicholas Williams
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Difference between Buffer and Cache

Comparison of Buffers and Cache

Buffers are allocated by various processes to use as input queues, etc. Most of
the time, buffers are some processes' output, and they are file buffers. A
simplistic explanation of buffers is that they allow processes to temporarily
store input in memory until the process can deal with it.

Cache is typically frequently requested disk I/O. If multiple processes are


accessing the same files, much of those files will be cached to improve
performance (RAM being much faster than hard drives).

The difference between buffers and cache

The terms are not mutually exclusive and the functions are frequently
combined; however, there is a difference in intent. A buffer is a temporary
storage location where a large block of data is assembled or disassembled. This
may be necessary for interacting with a storage device that requires large
blocks of data, or when data must be delivered in a different order than that in
which it is produced, or merely desirable when small blocks are inefficient. The
benefit is present even if the buffered data is written to the buffer once and
read from the buffer once.

A cache, on the other hand, hopes that the data will be read from the cache
more often than it is written there. Its purpose is to reduce accesses to the
underlying storage.

What is the Difference between Cache Memory and a Buffer Area?

In computing, a buffer is a region of memory used to temporarily hold output


or input data, comparable to buffers in telecommunication. The data can be
output to or input from devices outside the computer or processes within a
computer. Buffers can be implemented in either hardware or software, but the
vast majority of buffers are implemented in software. Buffers are used when
there is a difference between the rate at which data is received and the rate
at which it can be processed, or in the case that these rates are variable, for
example in a printer spooler.

The difference between buffers and cache:

Buffers are allocated by various processes to use as input queues, etc. Most of
the time, buffers are some processes' output, and they are file buffers. A
simplistic explanation of buffers is that they allow processes to temporarily
store input in memory until the process can deal with it.

Cache is typically frequently requested disk I/O. If multiple processes are


accessing the same files, much of those files will be cached to improve
performance (RAM being so much faster than hard drives), it's disk cache.

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