What is the most appropriate function of Memory Management Unit (MMU) ?
2015
What is the most appropriate function of Memory Management Unit (MMU) ?
- A.
It is an associative memory to store TLB
- B.
It is a technique of supporting multiprogramming by creating dynamic partitions
- C.
It is a chip to map virtual address to physical address
- D.
It is an algorithm to allocate and deallocate main memory to a process
Attempted by 502 students.
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Correct answer: C
Correct function: The Memory Management Unit (MMU) is a hardware component that maps virtual addresses to physical addresses.
Performs address translation using page tables maintained by the operating system.
Uses a Translation Lookaside Buffer (TLB), often implemented with associative memory, to cache recent translations and speed up access.
Enforces memory protection and access permissions (e.g., read/write/execute) as part of the translation process.
Supports virtual memory features such as paging (and sometimes segmentation) by enabling the OS to use virtual addresses independently of physical memory layout.
Why the other descriptions are incorrect:
Describing the MMU as just an associative memory confuses the TLB implementation detail with the full MMU function. The TLB may be associative memory, but the MMU is the translator that uses the TLB.
Describing the MMU as a dynamic partitioning technique or an allocation algorithm mixes up OS-level memory-management policies with hardware address-translation responsibilities. Allocation and partitioning are handled by the OS, not by the MMU hardware.