Recent Memory Control

From Perplexity with some prompting
The image illustrates a change in memory object management in recent Linux kernels, focusing on the transition from fixed-size page memory blocks to dynamic-size object memory blocks.

Left: Fixed-Size Page Memory Block

  • Page Memory Block: Typically uses fixed-size blocks, generally 4KB in size.
  • Meta Table: Managed by simple ID values (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), allowing for straightforward and efficient control.

Right: Dynamic-Size Object Memory Block

Meta Table: Requires both ID values and sizes (e.g., (1, size), (2, size)), necessitating more complex computation and larger metadata tables.

Object Memory Block: Utilizes blocks of varying sizes to accommodate different memory object sizes.

This transition reflects a shift towards more flexible memory management, allowing for better utilization of memory resources by accommodating objects of different sizes. However, it also introduces increased complexity in managing these memory allocations.