Basics of computer memory

Summary: Memory systems in computers. Access to memory (for storage of programs and data) is one of the most basic and lowest level activities of an operating system.

• memory hardware issues
• main storage
• external storage
• buffers
• basic memory software approaches
• static and dynamic approaches
• absolute addressing
• overlay
• relocatable software
• demand paging and swapping
• program counter relative
• base pointers
• indirection, pointers, and handles
• stack frames
• virtual memory
• OS memory services
• memory maps
• PC-DOS and MS-DOS memory map
• MS-DOS TSR memory map
• Mac Plus memory map
• Mac Plus video memory locations
• Mac Plus sound memory locations
• low memory
• PC-DOS and MS-DOS low memory
• BIOS Communication Area
• Reserved
• Inter-Application (User) Communication Area
• DOS Communication Area