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    Virtual Memory

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    Hrishikesh Shenai
    Virtual memory is a technique that allows the operating system to use secondary storage like the hard disk as an extension of physical RAM. It provides each process with its own virtual address space and uses a page table to map virtual addresses to physical addresses in RAM. When a process tries to access a page not in RAM, a page fault occurs and the OS brings the required page into memory from the hard disk. This allows applications to behave as if they have more memory than the physical amount installed.

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    Virtual Memory

    Uploaded by

    Hrishikesh Shenai
    55 views2 pages
    Virtual memory is a technique that allows the operating system to use secondary storage like the hard disk as an extension of physical RAM. It provides each process with its own virtual address space and uses a page table to map virtual addresses to physical addresses in RAM. When a process tries to access a page not in RAM, a page fault occurs and the OS brings the required page into memory from the hard disk. This allows applications to behave as if they have more memory than the physical amount installed.

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    Virtual memory is a technique that allows the operating system to use secondary storage like the hard disk as an extension of physical RAM. It provides each process with its own virtual address space and uses a page table to map virtual addresses to physical addresses in RAM. When a process tries to access a page not in RAM, a page fault occurs and the OS brings the required page into memory from the hard disk. This allows applications to behave as if they have more memory than the physical amount installed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    55 views2 pages

    Virtual Memory

    Uploaded by

    Hrishikesh Shenai
    Virtual memory is a technique that allows the operating system to use secondary storage like the hard disk as an extension of physical RAM. It provides each process with its own virtual address space and uses a page table to map virtual addresses to physical addresses in RAM. When a process tries to access a page not in RAM, a page fault occurs and the OS brings the required page into memory from the hard disk. This allows applications to behave as if they have more memory than the physical amount installed.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Virtual Memory

    Definition: Virtual memory is a memory management technique where


    secondary memory can be used as if it were a part of the main memory.

    It is used by operating systems to provide the illusion to users and applications


    that there is more physical memory (RAM) available than is actually installed on
    the computer. It provides an abstraction layer that allows efficient and flexible
    memory management, supports multitasking, and simplifies the programming
    process

    How does OS make use of Virtual Memory:


    ● The operating system allocates a virtual address space for each process.
    This space is divided into sections, typically including areas for code
    (executable instructions), data, stack, and heap.
    ● The operating system maintains a page table for each process. This table
    maps virtual addresses to physical addresses. When a process accesses a
    virtual address, the operating system uses the page table to determine the
    corresponding physical address.
    ● If a process tries to access a part of its virtual address space that is not
    currently in physical RAM, a page fault occurs. The operating system
    identifies the required page on the hard disk, brings it into a free page
    frame in RAM, and updates the page table accordingly.
    ● When the physical RAM is full and a new page needs to be brought into
    memory, the operating system may swap out a less frequently used page
    from RAM to the hard disk to make room. This process is known as
    swapping or paging, and it helps optimize the use of physical memory.
    ● The operating system uses page replacement policies to decide which
    page to swap out when a page fault occurs. Common policies include
    Least Recently Used (LRU), First-In-First-Out (FIFO), and others. These
    policies aim to minimize the impact on performance by selecting pages that
    are less likely to be used soon.

    Benefits of Virtual Memory:


    ● Flexibility in Memory Allocation: It provides flexibility in allocating and
    managing memory. Processes can be given the illusion of a large,
    contiguous address space, enabling the development of complex software.
    ● Efficient Use of Resources: It allows efficient utilization of physical RAM by
    temporarily transferring less frequently used data from RAM to the hard
    disk, freeing up space for actively used data.
    ● Multitasking Support: It enables the execution of multiple processes
    simultaneously by providing each process with its own virtual address
    space, even if the memory requirements exceed physical RAM capacity.
    ● Ease of Programming: Programmers can develop applications without
    worrying about the physical constraints of available RAM. The abstraction
    provided by virtual memory simplifies the programming process.
    ● Memory Isolation: It ensures memory isolation between processes,
    preventing one program from accessing or modifying the memory of
    another. This contributes to system stability and security.

    Disadvantages of using Virtual Memory:


    ● Performance Overhead: The need to constantly swap pages between RAM
    and the hard disk can lead to slower execution times, especially if
    excessive paging occurs.
    ● Page Faults: These can result in delays as the operating system retrieves
    the required page from the hard disk. Excessive page faults can degrade
    system performance.
    ● Complexity: The implementation and management of virtual memory adds
    complexity to the operating system. Developing and maintaining efficient
    algorithms for page replacement and other memory management tasks
    requires careful consideration.
    ● Dependency on Storage Speed: Virtual memory heavily depends on the
    speed of the storage device (typically a hard disk or SSD). If the storage
    device is slow, it can significantly impact the overall system performance.
    ● Fragmentation: Over time, virtual memory usage can lead to
    fragmentation, both external (non contiguous allocation of physical
    memory) and internal (unused portions of allocated memory).
    Fragmentation may impact the efficiency of memory usage.
    ● Resource Intensiveness: The operation of virtual memory can be
    resource-intensive, consuming CPU cycles and storage bandwidth. This
    may be a concern in resource-constrained environments.

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