What is virtual memory?

Virtual memory is an important part of modern operating systems designed to provide the illusion of a large and continuous memory space to the program by using efficient physical RAM (Random Access Memory). The computer allows you to run programs that require more memory than is available physically, to do many tasks and the execution of large programs.

How virtual memory works

Imagine you have several programs open on your computer - a web browser, a word processor, and a music player. Each of these programs requires a portion of your computer's memory to run. In a system without virtual memory, this application must compete for limited physical RAM, which can cause frequent crashes or slowdowns. However, virtual memory takes steps to avoid such problems.

Virtual memory works by creating a layer of abstraction between physical RAM and the software running on your computer. Instead of a direct connection between programs and RAM, your operating system allocates a portion of your hard drive called "page file" or "swap space" as an extension of RAM. This virtual memory is divided into blocks of the size called "pages".

When a program needs memory, it will interact with the virtual memory address without knowing its actual location in RAM or hard disk. The operating system's memory manager handles the translation of these virtual memory addresses into physical RAM or storage space, exchanging data between RAM and the hard disk to keep active processes running smoothly.

Simple example

Let's look at a simple example to illustrate how virtual memory works. Imagine you have a computer with 4 GB of physical RAM and you run two programs:

1. Photo editing program that uses 2 GB of memory.
2. A web browser that uses 1 GB of memory.

Without virtual memory, you'll run into problems because your programs will require more memory than your physical RAM can accommodate. However, with virtual memory, the operating system can temporarily cache data from photo editing software and web browsers to free up RAM space for active programs.

When you switch between these programs, the operating system efficiently manages data in and out of RAM and provides a smooth user experience.

The results

Virtual memory is an important concept in modern operating systems, allowing multiple programs to run simultaneously even when physical RAM is limited. Creating an abstraction layer works by translating virtual memory addresses to physical memory locations. Thus, it provides the illusion of large memory space for applications by efficiently managing available hardware resources.