virtual memory

English

a schematic of one implementation of virtual memory

Noun

virtual memory (usually uncountable, plural virtual memories)

  1. (computing) An abstraction implemented by hardware and the operating system that allows a process to access a virtual address space, such as one that is larger than the available physical memory, by translating virtual addresses to physical memory locations.
    Synonym: virtual storage
    • 1989, Vincent F. Russo, Roy H. Campbell, “Virtual memory and backing storage management in multiprocessor operating systems using object-oriented design techniques”, in OOPSLA Proceedings, ACM, page 268:
      Most modern computer architectures provide hardware support for virtual memory. Operating systems use virtual memory to provide support for large address spaces on systems with limited physical memory, to provide protection both within and between applications, to provide data sharing, and to provide artificial contiguity.

Usage notes

  • In certain sources, virtual memory is defined as a mechanism that extends the total memory available to applications by leveraging secondary storage. Under this interpretation, a virtual memory system necessarily employs techniques such as paging (which can move data between physical memory and the backing storage as needed). Consequently, systems that merely allocate a virtual address space to each process, such as those using base and bounds, are not classified as virtual memory systems, provided that the aggregate memory allocated to all processes does not exceed the available physical memory (i.e., RAM).

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