Contiguous and Non-Contiguous Memory Allocation

Contiguous Memory Allocation

• Definition: Allocating a single block of memory that is contiguous in physical address space.
• Advantages:
  • Efficient use of cache memory.
  • Faster memory access times.
• Disadvantages:
  • Limited flexibility.
  • May lead to fragmentation.

Non-Contiguous Memory Allocation

• Definition: Allocating multiple blocks of memory that are not contiguous in physical address space.
• Advantages:
  • More flexible memory allocation.
  • Reduced fragmentation.
• Disadvantages:
  • More complex memory management.
  • May lead to slower memory access times.

Comparison

• Contiguous allocation is suitable for applications that require fast memory access and have predictable memory requirements.
• Non-contiguous allocation is suitable for applications that require flexible memory allocation and have varying memory requirements.

Techniques

• Paging: A technique used for non-contiguous memory allocation, where memory is divided into fixed-size blocks called pages.
• Segmentation: A technique used for non-contiguous memory allocation, where memory is divided into variable-size blocks called segments.