Computer Organization: Memory Hierarchy

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Questions and Answers

What is the purpose of the cache in a CPU?

To reduce the time it takes to access the RAM

What is the function of the base register and limit register in a process?

To restrict a process to its own memory space

Why does the CPU need to check every memory access generated in user mode?

To prevent the process from accessing OS memory or other users' memory

When can address binding occur during a program's lifecycle?

At different stages, such as during compilation, linking, or loading Signup and view all the answers

What type of addresses are used when a program is written in source code?

Symbolic addresses Signup and view all the answers

What happens if a program tries to access OS memory or other users' memory?

A fatal error occurs, preventing the program from accessing these memory spaces Signup and view all the answers

What is a 'hole' in the context of memory allocation?

A block of available memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of the best-fit allocation strategy?

To allocate the smallest hole that is big enough Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of external fragmentation?

Gaps of unused space are scattered throughout memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of compaction?

To move free memory blocks together to create a larger block Signup and view all the answers

What is internal fragmentation?

When allocated memory is slightly larger than requested Signup and view all the answers

Why are first-fit and best-fit allocation strategies better than worst-fit?

They are faster and utilize storage better Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the linker or loader when a program is loaded into memory?

It binds relocatable addresses to absolute addresses Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the address generated by the CPU during execution?

Logical address Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the Memory-Management Unit (MMU)?

To map logical addresses to physical addresses Signup and view all the answers

What is dynamic relocation in the context of memory management?

The process of adding the relocation register value to every address generated by a user process Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the set of all logical addresses generated by a program?

Logical address space Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of variable partition assigning in memory management?

To assign each process to variable sized partitions in the memory Signup and view all the answers

Why can't a process be swapped out if it has pending I/O operations?

Because the I/O would occur to the wrong process. Signup and view all the answers

What triggers swapping in modern operating systems?

When the amount of free memory in the system becomes extremely low. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of request_memory() and release_memory()?

To inform the operating system about memory usage. Signup and view all the answers

Is standard swapping commonly used in modern operating systems?

No, it's not commonly used. Signup and view all the answers

What happens to ongoing I/O operations during the swapping process?

The operating system handles them appropriately. Signup and view all the answers

What happens when the translation does not exist in the TLB?

The computer will have to look it up in the page table in the memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the protection bit in a memory frame?

To indicate whether the frame can be read from and written to or just read from Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of a violation of memory protection rules?

A trap is generated Signup and view all the answers

What is the advantage of shared code?

It allows multiple processes to use the same piece of code Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of swapping in an operating system?

To enable the system to run more processes than can fit in physical memory Signup and view all the answers

What is the roll out, roll in technique used for?

To swap processes based on their priority Signup and view all the answers

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