Chapter 20. Virtual Memory

Many systems use what is known as “virtual memory.” It doesn’t mean that you almost remember what happened yesterday but instead refers to how a program will see the environment in which it’s running.

Virtual memory means that a user program thinks that the whole machine belongs to it. The entire range of addresses that the CPU could reach (the address space of the processor) looks like it belongs to that program, and there is nobody else to share with. It means that a program does not have to be restricted by the physical parameters of the hardware on which it’s running. The hardware and the kernel will take care of the insignificant little details like other users trying to use the system or a distressing lack of physical ...

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