In operating-system memory management, an overlay is:
2025
In operating-system memory management, an overlay is:
Answer: A. A technique in which mutually exclusive program modules share the same memory region and are loaded as needed — ConceptAn overlay is a memory-management technique used when a program is larger than the available main memory. The program is divided into modules that are…
- A.
A technique in which mutually exclusive program modules share the same memory region and are loaded as needed
- B.
A condition caused by storing too many files in the system
- C.
One fixed physical memory address reserved for a program
- D.
A permanent component of the operating-system kernel
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Correct answer: A
Concept
An overlay is a memory-management technique used when a program is larger than the available main memory. The program is divided into modules that are not required simultaneously; those mutually exclusive modules reuse the same memory region and are loaded when needed.
Application
The description of mutually exclusive program modules sharing one region states this mechanism: only the required module occupies the reusable region at a given time.
Contrast
Storing many files concerns file-system or secondary-storage capacity, not the loading of program modules into main memory.
One fixed physical address identifies a location; it does not describe a method for reusing a region across modules.
A permanent kernel component concerns operating-system structure; an overlay is a program-loading and memory-use technique.
Result
Therefore, an overlay is the technique in which mutually exclusive program modules share a memory region and are loaded as needed.