Linux® Kernel Primer, The: A Top-Down Approach for x86 and PowerPC Architectures

Chapter 4. Memory Management

In this chapter

• 4.1 Pages 183

• 4.2 Memory Zones 187

• 4.3 Page Frames 191

• 4.4 Slab Allocator 200

• 4.5 Slab Allocator's Lifecycle 211

• 4.6 Memory Request Path 224

• 4.7 Linux Process Memory Structures 226

• 4.8 Process Image Layout and Linear Address Space 232

• 4.9 Page Tables 236

• 4.10 Page Fault 237

• Summary 249

• Project: Process Memory Map 250

• Exercises 251

Memory management is the method by which an application running on a computer accesses memory through a combination of hardware and software manipulation. The job of the memory management subsystem is to allocate available memory to requesting processes and to deallocate the memory from a process as it releases it, keeping track of memory as it is handled.

The operating system lifespan can ...