This week introduces address spaces, memory allocation, relocation, segmentation, free-space management, and the role of the operating system in memory protection.
Week 7 explains how the OS gives each process the illusion of private memory. Students study address spaces, allocation strategies, and the difference between virtual and physical addresses.
| Time | Activity | What Students Do | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before Lecture | Preparation Reading | Read OSTEP Chapters 13–17 and draw a simple process address space. | Book → |
| Lecture 1 | Address Spaces | Code, data, heap, stack, virtual addresses, physical addresses, relocation, and protection. | Slides → |
| Lecture 2 | Free-Space Management | Allocation, fragmentation, first fit, best fit, worst fit, splitting, coalescing, and malloc/free. | Slides → |
| Lab Session | Memory Lab | Inspect process memory layout, use malloc/free, and observe heap behavior using small C programs. | Lab → |
| After Lecture | Assignment 7 | Write a small allocator simulation and compare allocation policies. | Assignment → |
| End of Week | Quiz 7 | Complete short quiz on address spaces, heap, stack, fragmentation, allocation policies, and memory protection. | Quiz → |
Describe process memory layout, distinguish virtual and physical addresses, explain fragmentation, and compare allocation strategies.
Slides for memory management. Replace this placeholder with your final PDF or Google Slides link.
Instructor notes and class summary for review after lecture and before assessment.
Placeholder for lecture recording or external video link. Replace this href with YouTube, Blackboard, or local recording URL.
Starter files, examples, and templates for the Week 7 lab and assignment.
Complete the assigned reading before lecture. Focus on definitions, mechanisms, tradeoffs, and examples that connect to the lab.
Use this reference to look up commands, system calls, library calls, and Linux behavior related to this week.
Inspect process memory layout, use malloc/free, and observe heap behavior using small C programs.
Write a small allocator simulation and compare allocation policies. Submit source code, screenshots, and a short explanation.
Short quiz covering address spaces, heap, stack, fragmentation, allocation policies, and memory protection.
Central download area for slides, notes, lab, assignment, starter code, and reference files. Replace placeholder paths after uploading final files.
Week 8 focuses on virtual memory and paging. Students should understand address spaces before studying page tables and TLBs.