Memory Translation

Tags

comp-arch

Is the process of converting a virtual memory address into a physical memory address. It acts as a translation layer between the address as known by the process and the actual address on the hardware. The outline for how this works is:

1. A process makes a memory request.
2. The circuit checks the translation lookaside buffer for a cached address.
3. The memory management unit:
   • Performs the address translation,
   • Pulls the address from RAM, and
   • Caches the result into the TLB.
4. The CPU performs the operation by either reading the physical address or writing to the address.