Chapter 5 Memory Management
Chapter 5 Memory Management
Chapter 5 Memory Management
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The 80386 transforms logical addresses (i.e., addresses as viewed by
programmers) into physical address (i.e., actual addresses in physical
memory) in two steps:
* Segment translation, in which a logical address (consisting of a
segment selector and segment offset) are converted to a linear address.
* Page translation, in which a linear address is converted to a physical
address. This step is optional, at the discretion of systems-software
designers.
These translations are performed in a way that is not visible to
applications programmers. Figure 5-1 illustrates the two translations at a
high level of abstraction.
Figure 5-1 and the remainder of this chapter present a simplified view of
the 80386 addressing mechanism. In reality, the addressing mechanism also
includes memory protection features. For the sake of simplicity, however,
the subject of protection is taken up in another chapter, Chapter 6.
See Also: Fig.5-1
5.1 Segment Translation
5.1 Segment Translation
Figure 5-2 shows in more detail how the processor converts a logical
address into a linear address.
To perform this translation, the processor uses the following data
structures:
* Descriptors
* Descriptor tables
* Selectors
* Segment Registers
See Also: Fig.5-2
5.1.1 Descriptors
5.1.1 Descriptors
The segment descriptor provides the processor with the data it needs to map
a logical address into a linear address. Descriptors are created by
compilers, linkers, loaders, or the operating system, not by applications
programmers. Figure 5-3 illustrates the two general descriptor formats. All
types of segment descriptors take one of these formats. Segment-descriptor
fields are:
BASE: Defines the location of the segment within the 4 gigabyte linear
address space. The processor concatenates the three fragments of the base
address to form a single 32-bit value.
LIMIT: Defines the size of the segment. When the processor concatenates the
two parts of the limit field, a 20-bit value results. The processor
interprets the limit field in one of two ways, depending on the setting of
the granularity bit:
1. In units of one byte, to define a limit of up to 1 megabyte.
2. In units of 4 Kilobytes, to define a limit of up to 4 gigabytes. The
limit is shifted left by 12 bits when loaded, and low-order one-bits
are inserted.
Granularity bit: Specifies the units with which the LIMIT field is
interpreted. When thebit is clear, the limit is interpreted in units of one
byte; when set, the limit is interpreted in units of 4 Kilobytes.
TYPE: Distinguishes between various kinds of descriptors.
DPL (Descriptor Privilege Level): Used by the protection mechanism (refer
to Chapter 6).
Segment-Present bit: If this bit is zero, the descriptor is not valid for
use in address transformation; the processor will signal an exception when a
selector for the descriptor is loaded into a segment register. Figure 5-4
shows the format of a descriptor when the present-bit is zero. The operating
system is free to use the locations marked AVAILABLE. Operating systems that
implement segment-based virtual memory clear the present bit in either of
these cases:
* When the linear space spanned by the segment is not mapped by the
paging mechanism.
* When the segment is not present in memory.
Accessed bit: The processor sets this bit when the segment is accessed;
i.e., a selector for the descriptor is loaded into a segment register or
used by a selector test instruction. Operating systems that implement
virtual memory at the segment level may, by periodically testing and
clearing this bit, monitor frequency of segment usage.
Creation and maintenance of descriptors is the responsibility of systems
software, usually requiring the cooperation of compilers, program loaders or
system builders, and therating system.
See Also: Fig.5-3 Fig.5-4 Fig.5-2
5.1.2 Descriptor Tables
5.1.2 Descriptor Tables
Segment descriptors are stored in either of two kinds of descriptor table:
* The global descriptor table (GDT)
* A local descriptor table (LDT)
A descriptor table is simply a memory array of 8-byte entries that contain
descriptors, as Figure 5-5 shows. A descriptor table is variable in length
and may contain up to 8192 (2^(13)) descriptors. The first entry of the GDT
(INDEX=0) is not used by the processor, however.
The processor locates the GDT and the current LDT in memory by means of the
GDTR and LDTR registers. These registers store the base addresses of the
tables in the linear address space and store the segment limits. The
instructions LGDT and SGDT give access to the GDTR; the instructions LLDT
and SLDT give access to the LDTR.
See Also: Fig.5-4 Fig.5-5
5.1.3 Selectors
5.1.3 Selectors
The selector portion of a logical address identifies a descriptor by
specifying a descriptor table and indexing a descriptor within that table.
Selectors may be visible to applications programs as a field within a
pointer variable, but the values of selectors are usually assigned (fixed
up) by linkers or linking loaders. Figure 5-6 shows the format of a
selector.
Index: Selects one of 8192 descriptors in a descriptor table. The processor
simply multiplies this index value by 8 (the length of a descriptor), and
adds the result to the base address of the descriptor table in order to
access the appropriate segment descriptor in the table.
Table Indicator: Specifies to which descriptor table the selector refers. A
zero indicates the GDT; a one indicates the current LDT.
Requested Privilege Level: Used by the protection mechanism. (Refer to
Chapter 6.)
Because the first entry of the GDT is not used by the processor, a selector
that has an index of zero and a table indicator of zero (i.e., a selector
that points to the first entry of the GDT), can be used as a null selector.
The processor does not cause an exception when a segment register (other
than CS or SS) is loaded with a null selector. It will, however, cause an
exception when the segment register is used to access memory. This feature
is useful for initializing unused segment registers so as to trap accidental
references.
See Also: Fig.5-6 Fig.5-7
5.1.4 Segment Registers
5.1.4 Segment Registers
The 80386 stores information from descriptors in segment registers, thereby
avoiding the need to consult a descriptor table every time it accesses
memory.
Every segment register has a "visible" portion and an "invisible" portion,
as Figure 5-7 illustrates. The visible portions of these segment address
registers are manipulated by programs as if they were simply 16-bit
registers. The invisible portions are manipulated by the processor.
The operations that load these registers are normal program instructions
(previously described in Chapter 3). These instructions are of two classes:
1. Direct load instructions; for example, MOV, POP, LDS, LSS, LGS, LFS.
These instructions explicitly reference the segment registers.
2. Implied load instructions; for example, far CALL and JMP. These
instructions implicitly reference the CS register, and load it with a
new value.
Using these instructions, a program loads the visible part of the segment
register with a 16-bit selector. The processor automatically fetches the
base address, limit, type, and other information from a descriptor table and
loads them into the invisible part of the segment register.
Because most instructions refer to data in segments whose selectors have
already been loaded into segment registers, the processor can add the
segment-relative offset supplied by the instruction to the segment base
address with no additional overhead.
See Also: Fig.5-7
5.2 Page Translation
5.2 Page Translation
In the second phase of address transformation, the 80386 transforms a
linear address into a physical address. This phase of address transformation
implements the basic features needed for page-oriented virtual-memory
systems and page-level protection.
The page-translation step is optional. Page translation is in effect only
when the PG bit of CR0 is set. This bit is typically set by the operating
system during software initialization. The PG bit must be set if the
operating system is to implement multiple virtual 8086 tasks, page-oriented
protection, or page-oriented virtual memory.
5.2.1 Page Frame
5.2.1 Page Frame
A page frame is a 4K-byte unit of contiguous addresses of physical memory.
Pages begin onbyte boundaries and are fixed in size.
5.2.2 Linear Address
5.2.2 Linear Address
A linear address refers indirectly to a physical address by specifying a
page table, a page within that table, and an offset within that page. Figure
5-8 shows the format of a linear address.
Figure 5-9 shows how the processor converts the DIR, PAGE, and OFFSET
fields of a linear address into the physical address by consulting two
levels of page tables. The addressing mechanism uses the DIR field as an
index into a page directory, uses the PAGE field as an index into the page
table determined by the page directory, and uses the OFFSET field to address
a byte within the page determined by the page table.
See Also: Fig.5-8 Fig.5-9
5.2.3 Page Tables
5.2.3 Page Tables
A page table is simply an array of 32-bit page specifiers. A page table is
itself a page, and therefore contains 4 Kilobytes of memory or at most 1K
32-bit entries.
Two levels of tables are used to address a page of memory. At the higher
level is a page directory. The page directory addresses up to 1K page tables
of the second level. A page table of the second level addresses up to 1K
pages. All the tables addressed by one page directory, therefore, can
address 1M pages (2^(20)). Because each page contains 4K bytes 2^(12)
bytes), the tables of one page directory can span the entire physical
address space of the 80386 (2^(20) times 2^(12) = 2^(32)).
The physical address of the current page directory is stored in the CPU
register CR3, also called the page directory base register (PDBR). Memory
management software has the option of using one page directory for all
tasks, one page directory for each task, or some combination of the two.
Refer to Chapter 10 for information on initialization of CR3. Refer to
Chapter 7 to see how CR3 can change for each task.
5.2.4 Page-Table Entries
5.2.4 Page-Table Entries
Entries in either level of page tables have the same format. Figure 5-10
illustrates this format.
See Also: Fig.5-10
5.2.4.1 Page Frame Address
5.2.4.1 Page Frame Address
The page frame address specifies the physical starting address of a page.
Because pages are located on 4K boundaries, the low-order 12 bits are always
zero. In a page directory, the page frame address is the address of a page
table. In a second-level page table, the page frame address is the address
of the page frame that contains the desired memory operand.
5.2.4.2 Present Bit
5.2.4.2 Present Bit
The Present bit indicates whether a page table entry can be used in address
translation. P=1 indicates that the entry can be used.
When P=0 in either level of page tables, the entry is not valid for address
translation, and the rest of the entry is available for software use; none
of the other bits in the entry is tested by the hardware. Figure 5-11
illustrates the format of a page-table entry when P=0.
If P=0 in either level of page tables when an attempt is made to use a
page-table entry for address translation, the processor signals a page
exception. In software systems that support paged virtual memory, the
page-not-present exception handler can bring the required page into physical
memory. The instruction that caused the exception can then be reexecuted.
Refer to Chapter 9 for more information on exception handlers.
Note that there is no present bit for the page directory itself. The page
directory may be not-present while the associated task is suspended, but the
operating system must ensure that the page directory indicated by the CR3
image in the TSS is present in physical memory before the task is
dispatched. Refer to Chapter 7 for an explanation of the TSS and task
dispatching.
See Also: Fig.5-10 Fig.5-11
5.2.4.3 Accessed and Dirty Bits
5.2.4.3 Accessed and Dirty Bits
These bits provide data about page usage in both levels of the page tables.
With the exception of the dirty bit in a page directory entry, these bits
are set by the hardware; however, the processor does not clear any of these
bits.
The processor sets the corresponding accessed bits in both levels of page
tables to one before a read or write operation to a page.
The processor sets the dirty bit in the second-level page table to one
before a write to an address covered by that page table entry. The dirty bit
in directory entries is undefined.
An operating system that supports paged virtual memory can use these bits
to determine what pages to eliminate from physical memory when the demand
for memory exceeds the physical memory available. The operating system is
responsible for testing and clearing these bits.
Refer to Chapter 11 for how the 80386 coordinates updates to the accessed
and dirty bits in multiprocessor systems.
5.2.4.4 Read/Write and User/Supervisor Bits
5.2.4.4 Read/Write and User/Supervisor Bits
These bits are not used for address translation, but are used for
page-level protection, which the processor performs at the same time as
address translation. Refer to Chapter 6 where protection is discussed in
detail.
5.2.5 Page Translation Cache
5.2.5 Page Translation Cache
For greatest efficiency in address translation, the processor stores the
most recently used page-table data in an on-chip cache. Only if the
necessary paging information is not in the cache must both levels of page
tables be referenced.
The existence of the page-translation cache is invisible to applications
programmers but not to systems programmers; operating-system programmers
must flush the cache whenever the page tables are changed. The
page-translation cache can be flushed by either of two methods:
1. By reloading CR3 with a MOV instruction; for example:
MOV CR3, EAX
2. By performing a task switch to a TSS that has a different CR3 image
than the current TSS. (Refer to Chapter 7 for more information on
task switching.)
5.3 Combining Segment and Page Translation
5.3 Combining Segment and Page Translation
Figure 5-12 combines Figure 5-2 and Figure 5-9 to summarize both phases
of the transformation from a logical address to a physical address when
paging is enabled. By appropriate choice of options and parameters to both
phases, memory-management software can implement several different styles of
memory management.
See Also: Fig.5-12 Fig.5-2 Fig.5-9
5.3.1 "Flat" Architecture
5.3.1 "Flat" Architecture
When the 80386 is used to execute software designed for architectures that
don't have segments, it may be expedient to effectively "turn off" the
segmentation features of the 80386. The 80386 does not have a mode that
disables segmentation, but the same effect can be achieved by initially
loading the segment registers with selectors for descriptors that encompass
the entire 32-bit linear address space. Once loaded, the segment registers
don't need to be changed. The 32-bit offsets used by 80386 instructions are
adequate to address the entire linear-address space.
5.3.2 Segments Spanning Several Pages
5.3.2 Segments Spanning Several Pages
The architecture of the 80386 permits segments to be larger or smaller than
the size of a page (4 Kilobytes). For example, suppose a segment is used to
address and protect a large data structure that spans 132 Kilobytes. In a
software system that supports paged virtual memory, it is not necessary for
the entire structure to be in physical memory at once. The structure is
divided into 33 pages, any number of which may not be present. The
applications programmer does not need to be aware that the virtual memory
subsystem is paging the structure in this manner.
See Also: Fig.5-12
5.3.3 Pages Spanning Several Segments
5.3.3 Pages Spanning Several Segments
On the other hand, segments may be smaller than the size of a page. For
example, consider a small data structure such as a semaphore. Because of the
protection and sharing provided by segments (refer to Chapter 6), it may be
useful to create a separate segment for each semaphore. But, because a
system may need many semaphores, it is not efficient to allocate a page for
each. Therefore, it may be useful to cluster many related segments within a
page.
5.3.4 Non-Aligned Page and Segment Boundaries
5.3.4 Non-Aligned Page and Segment Boundaries
The architecture of the 80386 does not enforce any correspondence between
the boundaries of pages and segments. It is perfectly permissible for a page
to contain the end of one segment and the beginning of another. Likewise, a
segment may contain the end of one page and the beginning of another.
5.3.5 Aligned Page and Segment Boundaries
5.3.5 Aligned Page and Segment Boundaries
Memory-management software may be simpler, however, if it enforces some
correspondence between page and segment boundaries. For example, if segments
are allocated only in units of one page, the logic for segment and page
allocation can be combined. There is no need for logic to account for
partially used pages.
5.3.6 Page-Table per Segment
5.3.6 Page-Table per Segment
An approach to space management that provides even further simplification
of space-management software is to maintain a one-to-one correspondence
between segment descriptors and page-directory entries, as Figure 5-13
illustrates. Each descriptor has a base address in which the low-order 22
bits are zero; in other words, the base address is mapped by the first entry
of a page table. A segment may have any limit from 1 to 4 megabytes.
Depending on the limit, the segment is contained in from 1 to 1K page
frames. A task is thus limited to 1K segments (a sufficient number for many
applications), each containing up to 4 Mbytes. The descriptor, the
corresponding page-directory entry, and the corresponding page table can be
allocated and deallocated simultaneously.
See Also: Fig.5-13