Mäluhaldussüsteem

Mäluhaldussüsteem is a fundamental component of an operating system responsible for managing the computer's main memory, also known as RAM. Its primary purpose is to allocate memory to processes that need it and to deallocate it when they are finished, ensuring that different programs do not interfere with each other's memory space. This prevents data corruption and system instability.

Key functions of a mäluhaldussüsteem include keeping track of which parts of memory are currently in use and by which process, and which parts are free. It also handles the allocation and deallocation of memory blocks based on requests from programs. Advanced mäluhaldussüsteem implementations employ techniques like virtual memory. Virtual memory allows a system to use more memory than physically available by temporarily storing less-used portions of programs and data on secondary storage, such as a hard drive. This swapping process, managed by the mäluhaldussüsteem, provides the illusion of a larger memory space to applications, enabling the execution of larger and more numerous programs.

The efficiency of the mäluhaldussüsteem significantly impacts overall system performance. Poor memory management can lead to frequent disk access (thrashing) due to excessive swapping, slowing down the computer considerably. Therefore, operating systems are designed with sophisticated mäluhaldussüsteem algorithms to optimize memory usage and retrieval.