3.2 - Memory Technologies

Question 1

Virtual memory

Answer 1

• Different names - Virtual RAM, swap file, etc.
• Swap currently unused application data to storage
  – Free up space for other applications
• Managed automatically by the operating system
  – Some configuration settings are available

Question 2

Multi-channel memory

Answer 2

• Dual-channel, triple-channel, or quad-channel
• Memory combinations should match
  – Exact matches are best
• Memory module slots are often colored differently

Question 3

Memory that checks itself

Answer 3

• Used on critical computer systems
  – VM servers, database servers, any server
• Parity memory
  – Adds an additional parity bit
  – Won’t always detect an error
  – Can’t correct an error
• Error Correcting Code (ECC)
  – Detects errors and corrects on the fly
  – Not all systems use ECC
  – It looks the same as non-ECC memory