Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Virtualization of memory is a concept that plays a crucial role in modern computer systems,
enabling efficient and flexible management of memory resources. It allows multiple processes
to run concurrently on a computer, each thinking it has its own dedicated memory space, even
though physical memory may be limited. This is achieved through the use of a virtual memory
system.
Here's a detailed explanation of virtualization of memory:
➢ Background:
• Physical Memory: Refers to the actual RAM (Random Access Memory) installed in a
computer.
• Virtual Memory: A memory management technique that provides an "idealized
abstraction" of the storage resources that are actually available on a given machine.
➢ Address Spaces:
• Each process running on a computer is given its own virtual address space.
• Virtual address space is the range of addresses that a process can use, starting from
address 0 and extending up to the maximum address supported by the architecture.
➢ Virtual Memory Paging:
• The virtual memory system breaks down physical memory into fixed-size blocks called
pages.
• Likewise, the virtual address space is divided into pages of the same size.
• When a process needs to access data in virtual memory, the operating system (OS)
translates the virtual address to a physical address using a data structure called a page
table.
➢ Page Tables:
• Page tables are used by the operating system to map virtual addresses to physical
addresses.
• Each process has its own page table, which is maintained by the operating system.
• The page table stores the mapping between virtual pages and physical pages.
➢ Page Faults:
• When a process tries to access a virtual page that is not currently in physical memory, a
page fault occurs.
• The operating system handles page faults by bringing the required page into physical
memory from secondary storage (like a hard drive or SSD).
➢ Demand Paging:
• Only the pages that are actually needed by a process are brought into physical memory.
• This is known as demand paging, and it helps in efficiently utilizing physical memory.
➢ Memory Protection:
• Virtual memory allows for memory protection by assigning different permissions to
different pages (read-only, read-write, execute-only, etc.).
• Unauthorized access attempts result in hardware exceptions, preventing processes from
interfering with each other's memory.
➢ Memory Isolation:
• Each process operates in its own virtual address space, isolating it from other processes.
• This isolation prevents one process from directly accessing the memory contents of
another process.
➢ Swapping:
• In addition to demand paging, virtual memory systems often support swapping, where
entire processes or parts of processes are moved in and out of secondary storage to make
more physical memory available.
➢ Benefits:
• Efficient Use of Memory: Virtual memory allows more processes to run concurrently than
the physical memory would normally allow.
• Isolation: Processes are isolated from each other, enhancing system stability and security.
• Flexibility: Processes can be larger than physical memory, and the operating system can
manage memory more flexibly.
2. Broad network access: Cloud resources are accessible from anywhere with an internet
connection, regardless of device or location. This ubiquitous access allows users to stay
productive and connected on the go.
3. Resource pooling: Computing resources are pooled and dynamically allocated to multiple
users, based on their individual needs. This enables efficient utilization of resources and
eliminates the need for over-provisioning on-premises infrastructure.
4. Rapid elasticity: Cloud resources can be quickly and easily scaled up or down to meet
changing demands. This elasticity allows businesses to adapt to unexpected spikes in workload
or scale down during periods of low activity, optimizing costs and resource utilization.
5. Measured service: Cloud services are metered and billed based on usage, making them pay-
as-you-go models. This eliminates the upfront costs associated with traditional on-premises
infrastructure and helps businesses budget effectively.
➢ Additional characteristics to consider:
Security: Cloud providers implement robust security measures to protect user data and
applications. However, user responsibility in data security is still crucial.
Reliability: Cloud providers strive for high availability and uptime, ensuring consistent access to
resources. However, it's essential to choose a reliable provider with strong service level
agreements (SLAs).
Management: Cloud platforms offer tools and interfaces for managing resources, monitoring
performance, and ensuring security. Choosing a user-friendly platform simplifies cloud
management.
1) Define hypervisor. Give its types?
Ans:- A hypervisor, also known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM), is software that creates
and manages virtual machines (VMs). It acts as a layer between the physical hardware and the
VMs, allowing multiple operating systems to run on a single physical machine.
Types of hypervisors:
• Type 1 (bare metal) hypervisors: Run directly on the host hardware, without the need for
an underlying operating system. Examples include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, and
Citrix XenServer.
• Type 2 (hosted) hypervisors: Run as an application on top of a host operating system,
such as Windows, Linux, or macOS. Examples include VMware Workstation, Oracle
VirtualBox, and Parallels Desktop.
2) Differentiate between scalability and elasticity in cloud computing?
Ans:- Scalability: Refers to the ability of a system to handle increasing workloads by adding
more resources (e.g., servers, storage, or network bandwidth). It's about expanding capacity to
meet growing demand.
Elasticity: Refers to the ability of a system to automatically and dynamically adjust its resource
allocation to match current needs. It's about adapting to workload fluctuations in a timely and
efficient manner.
➢ Key differences:
Scalability is often a manual process, while elasticity is typically automated.
Scalability focuses on long-term growth, while elasticity addresses short-term fluctuations.