Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site ariel.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!harpo!eagle!hou5h!hou5g!hou5f!ariel!jlw From: jlw@ariel.UUCP Newsgroups: net.flame,net.unix-wizards Subject: Paging != Virtual Memory Message-ID: <520@ariel.UUCP> Date: Sun, 20-Nov-83 18:47:08 EST Article-I.D.: ariel.520 Posted: Sun Nov 20 18:47:08 1983 Date-Received: Tue, 22-Nov-83 00:20:41 EST Organization: AT&T-ISL, Holmdel, NJ Lines: 43 A week or so ago I posted a mild flame to net.unix_wizards lamenting the confusion that I saw on the net regarding the differences between a virtual memory system and a demand paging implementation of a virtual memory system. There were several responses on the net, some of then quite intemperate, implying that I was incorrect, and that, especially in academic circles, virtual memory was synonymous with paging. Therefore, I did some checking. I quote from a book actively used at Stanford at least up until two years ago. 'The term paging is used to describe a particular implementation of virtual memory and organization of main storage.' Shaw, Alan C., 'The Logical Design of Operating Systems,' pg. 117, Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1974. Madnick, Stuart E., Donovan, John J., 'Operating Systems,' pp. 139-186, McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1974. This reference, clearly, although not as succinctly as in the first example defines the three segment system of text, data, and bss (blank starting segment to answer another question), still used by BTL UNIX as an alternate form of virtual memory management. 'The general techniques of automatically moving required program and data blocks into physical M(ain)M(emory) for execution are called virtual memory techniques.' Hamacher, V. Carl, Vranesic, Zvonko G., Zaky, Safwat G., 'Computer Organization,' p. 252, McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1978. (all authors from Univ. of Toronto) I hope that this will answer any questions any of you may have had. Joseph L. Wood, III AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Holmdel (201) 834-3759 ariel!jlw