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Memory Management Requirements

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Memory Management Requirements
Steven Windham
POS/355
Professor: Kelvin Upson

Before I can discuss the requirements of memory management, I first have to define what memory management is. According to information found at the following location, http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/memory-management, “memory management is the process of controlling and coordinating computer memory, assigning portions called blocks to various running programs to optimize overall system performance. Memory management resides in hardware, in the OS (operating system), and in programs and applications.” Also, memory management is simply stated as the act of managing computer memory. Now that we have an understanding of what memory management is we can discuss the requirements for three different components hardware, OS, and application level.
First, we will look at memory management requirements (MMR) for hardware. Hardware is considered to be physical components of a computer that store data like Random Accessed Memory (RAM), memory caches, and flash-based solid state drives. I located the following information about MMR at, http://www/memorymanagement.org/mmref/begin.html, “Memory management at the hardware level is concerned with the electronic devices that actually store data. This includes things like RAM and memory caches.” RAM can be upgraded, which in turn will speed up the computer. Next, we will discuss MMR for the OS. MMR for the OS is different than it is for hardware. In the OS, memory management involves the allocation (and constant reallocation) of specific memory blocks to individual programs as user demands change. The OS uses algorithms to decide which unused block to place the information. Two broad tasks that have to be accomplished, each process must have enough memory in which to execute and the different types of memory in the system must be used properly. The following statement was taken from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/operating-system7.htm, “The operating system must balance the needs of the various processes with the availability of the different types of memory, moving data in blocks (called pages) between available memory as the schedule of processes dictates.” Now that we have looked at both hardware and OS MMR, we will cover application MMR. As stated at http://www.memorymanagement.org/mmref/begin.html, “Application memory management involves supplying the memory needed for a program’s objects and data structures from the limited resources available, and recycling that memory for reuse when it is no longer required. Because application programs cannot in general predict in advance how much memory they are going to require, they need additional code to handle their changing memory requirements.” Application MMR combines two related tasks, allocation and recycling. Allocation is when a program requests a block or blocks of memory, the memory manager must allocate where to place the information out of the larger blocks it has received from the operating system. Recycling is when memory blocks have been allocated, but the data they contain is no longer required by the program, then the blocks can be recycled for reuse. Now that we have looked at three different components that deal with MMR, my hope is that you have a better understanding of what MMR is and how it works. Those components are hardware, OS and application. Each has a specific purpose and without them, the computer would not function as intended. It is my hope that I was able to give you a better understanding of how MMR works and it used by a computer.

References
Rouse, Margaret. “Memory management” 2012. Whatis.techtarget.com. <http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/memory-management> Ravenbrook Limited. “Memory Management Reference” Memorymanagement.org. <http://www.memorymanagement.org/mmref/begin.html>
Franklin, Curt, and Dave Coustan. "How Operating Systems Work" 14 August 2000. HowStuffWorks.com. <http://computer.howstuffworks.com/operating-system.htm>

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