Nonpage

Nonpage is a term used in computing to describe data or memory that cannot be paged out to disk; in other words, it must remain resident in physical RAM while the system is running. The concept arises from virtual memory management, which separates memory into regions that can be swapped to disk and those that must stay in RAM.

In Windows operating systems, the nonpaged pool refers to a dedicated portion of kernel memory that is not subject to paging. Objects allocated from this pool include kernel structures and certain driver data that must be readily accessible at any time, including during memory pressure. The size of the nonpaged pool is configured at boot and influenced by hardware and system settings; if nonpaged memory is exhausted, the system can become unstable or crash. By contrast, the paged pool contains memory that can be swapped out to disk when needed.

Other operating systems implement similar concepts under different terminology. Nonpage or nonpageable regions may exist as fixed allocations in kernel space or as protections that prevent paging of critical data. In non-technical contexts, nonpage is not a standard term; writers more commonly use nonpaginated, single-page, or multi-page descriptions to refer to content that is not divided across multiple pages.

Overall, nonpage denotes the subset of memory or data that is not eligible for paging, emphasizing immediacy and constant availability of critical information in the system. The term appears mainly in technical documentation, operating system design discussions, and system administration resources.