virtual storage
Noun (Computing): 1. A memory management technique: A system that uses a combination of main memory (RAM) and secondary storage (like a hard disk) to create the illusion of a much larger, contiguous working memory for applications. 2. The addressable memory space: The total logical memory space available to a program or user, which is larger than the computer's physical RAM, made possible by dynamically swapping data between RAM and disk storage.
Virtual storage is a core concept in modern operating systems, allowing them to run programs that require more memory than is physically installed. - The operating system uses virtual storage to manage multiple large applications simultaneously. - A key benefit of virtual storage is that it prevents a single program from consuming all available physical memory.
- "The software's memory requirements exceeded the available RAM, so it relied heavily on the system's virtual storage."
- "Implementing virtual storage significantly improves a computer's ability to multitask efficiently."
- Paging/Page File: The process and the dedicated disk space used to implement virtual storage. Data is divided into fixed-size blocks called "pages" that are swapped between RAM and disk.
- The system's performance slowed down because excessive paging to the virtual storage was occurring.
- Virtual Address Space: The range of memory addresses that a program can use, which is mapped by the operating system to either physical RAM or disk storage.
- Each process runs in its own isolated virtual storage address space.
- Virtual Memory (n): A nearly synonymous term often used interchangeably with "virtual storage." It specifically emphasizes the illusion of abundant memory presented to the software.
- Swap Space / Pagefile (n): The specific area on the hard disk designated to hold memory pages that are not currently active in RAM.
- Paging (n): The action of transferring memory pages between RAM and disk storage.
- Virtual memory
- Logical memory (in the context of the addressable space presented to programs)
- Memory Management Unit (MMU): The hardware component responsible for translating virtual addresses to physical addresses.
- Thrashing: A performance degradation that occurs when the system spends more time swapping pages to and from virtual storage than executing useful work.
- (computer science) memory created by using the hard disk to simulate additional random-access memory; the addressable storage space available to the user of a computer system in which virtual addresses are mapped into real addresses