Resource Management in Operating Systems

Answers

16. Answer: The MMU translates virtual memory addresses to physical memory addresses, enabling efficient memory management.
    Description: The MMU ensures processes access their allocated memory safely, preventing conflicts. For example, it maps virtual addresses in a program to physical RAM locations, as in Windows memory management.

17. Answer: Virtual memory allows processes to use more memory than physically available by using disk space as an extension, enabling multitasking and memory isolation.
    Description: Virtual memory creates an illusion of a large, contiguous memory space. It uses paging to swap data between RAM and disk, improving system efficiency, as seen in Linux’s swap space.
    Image Placeholder: [Insert diagram of virtual memory]

18. Answer: Paging divides memory into fixed-size pages, mapping virtual pages to physical memory frames, allowing non-contiguous memory allocation.
    Description: Paging simplifies memory management by breaking processes into pages, reducing fragmentation. For example, Windows uses 4KB pages to manage memory efficiently.

19. Answer: Device drivers are software that enables the OS to communicate with hardware devices, translating OS commands into device-specific instructions.
    Description: Drivers act as intermediaries, ensuring devices like printers or GPUs work correctly. For instance, installing a driver for a new printer allows the OS to send print jobs effectively.

20. Answer: Spooling (Simultaneous Peripheral Operations On-Line) queues data for slow devices like printers, allowing the CPU to process other tasks concurrently.
    Description: Spooling stores print jobs in a buffer, freeing the CPU from waiting for slow I/O operations, as seen in Windows print spooling, enhancing multitasking efficiency.