CS274: Computer Architecture - Virtual Memory

Activity Goals

The goals of this activity are:
  1. To explain why memory is segmented into a stack and heap
  2. To reason about the benefits of growing the stack and heap in opposite directions
  3. To motivate the need for virtual memory, and specifically, for logical addressing
  4. To design a logical address space that facilitates cooperative multitasking

The Activity

Directions

Consider the activity models and answer the questions provided. First reflect on these questions on your own briefly, before discussing and comparing your thoughts with your group. Appoint one member of your group to discuss your findings with the class, and the rest of the group should help that member prepare their response. Answer each question individually from the activity, and compare with your group to prepare for our whole-class discussion. After class, think about the questions in the reflective prompt and respond to those individually in your notebook. Report out on areas of disagreement or items for which you and your group identified alternative approaches. Write down and report out questions you encountered along the way for group discussion.

Model 1: Warmup - MIPS Addresses

The MIPS address space includes a stack that begins at the top of the address space and grows downward, while the heap is in the lower region of the address space and grows upward.

Questions

  1. Which region contains the translated machine code for your program?
  2. Which address above is the starting address for a MIPS program?

Submission

I encourage you to submit your answers to the questions (and ask your own questions!) using the Class Activity Questions discussion board. You may also respond to questions or comments made by others, or ask follow-up questions there. Answer any reflective prompt questions in the Reflective Journal section of your OneNote Classroom personal section. You can find the link to the class notebook on the syllabus.