Os Memory Management Questions
Memory defragmentation is the process of rearranging the memory space in order to reduce fragmentation. Fragmentation occurs when memory is allocated and deallocated in a non-contiguous manner, resulting in small blocks of free memory scattered throughout the system. This can lead to inefficient memory utilization and slower performance.
Memory defragmentation aims to consolidate the free memory blocks into larger contiguous blocks, making it easier to allocate larger memory requests. There are two types of fragmentation: external fragmentation and internal fragmentation.
External fragmentation occurs when free memory blocks are scattered throughout the system, making it difficult to allocate larger memory requests. Memory defragmentation techniques, such as compaction or relocation, can be used to move allocated memory blocks and consolidate the free memory into larger contiguous blocks.
Internal fragmentation occurs when allocated memory blocks are larger than the requested size, resulting in wasted memory space. Memory defragmentation techniques, such as splitting or merging memory blocks, can be used to reduce internal fragmentation and optimize memory utilization.
Overall, memory defragmentation plays a crucial role in improving memory efficiency, reducing fragmentation, and enhancing system performance in memory management.