leheküljendamise

Leheküljendamine, commonly referred to as pagination in English, is a process used in computing to manage and divide large blocks of data into smaller, more manageable units called pages. This is particularly crucial in operating systems for managing memory. When a program requires more memory than is physically available, the operating system can move less frequently used pages from the main memory (RAM) to a secondary storage device, such as a hard drive or SSD. This process is known as swapping or paging out. Conversely, when a program needs a page that is stored on the secondary device, it is brought back into RAM, a process called paging in.

The primary benefit of leheküljendamine is its ability to allow programs to run even when their total memory requirements exceed the physical RAM. It creates an illusion of a much larger memory space for each process. This technique significantly improves system efficiency by ensuring that the most actively used data resides in the fastest memory (RAM), while less critical data is stored more affordably on slower storage. However, excessive paging can lead to performance degradation, a phenomenon known as thrashing, where the system spends more time moving pages than executing program instructions. Leheküljendamine is a fundamental concept in modern operating systems, enabling multitasking and efficient resource utilization.