OS2: Memory Management-Unit 2: Memory Allocation Techniques

Introduction As you have learnt from the previous unit, memory management is essential to process execution which is the primary job of the CPU. The main memory must accommodate both the operating system and the various user processes. You therefore need to allocate different parts of the main memory in the most efficient way possible. In this unit, therefore, you will about the some memory management algorithms such as contiguous memory allocation and its different flavours. Also, the problems that may arise from contiguous memory allocation (fragmentation) will be discussed in this unit. 2.0 Objectives At the end of this unit, you should be able to: Describe contiguous memory allocation Describe the various variants of contiguous memory allocation such as best-fit, worst-fit, and first-fit Distinguish between internal and external fragmentation Describe methods of solving external fragmentation