Question

how is the buddy system a compromise between fixed and dynamic partitioning? compaction is less effective, but can be used on internal fragmentation as well. partitions are dynamically allocated, but there is a fixed number of sizes they can be. relative addresses are converted to absolute addresses, but the bounds register is still used.

Answer 1

The buddy system is a memory allocation technique that balances the predictability of fixed partitioning with the flexibility of dynamic partitioning by allowing memory to be dynamically allocated in fixed block sizes. It reduces fragmentation by splitting and coalescing memory blocks and uses a bounds register for address conversion.

Step-by-step explanation:

The buddy system is a memory allocation system that acts as a compromise between fixed partitioning and dynamic partitioning. In fixed partitioning, memory is divided into fixed-size partitions, which can lead to internal fragmentation. On the other hand, dynamic partitioning allocates memory in variable sizes as needed, possibly causing external fragmentation. The buddy system minimizes this by allocating memory in blocks that are powers of two, which can be easily split or coalesced, reducing fragmentation.

The buddy system allows dynamic allocation of partitions while limiting the sizes to a fixed number of possibilities, thus balancing the flexibility of dynamic partitioning with the predictability of fixed partitioning. Although compaction can be used to address internal fragmentation in the buddy system, it is less effective than in fixed partitioning. However, the system still utilizes a bounds register for converting relative addresses to absolute addresses, maintaining efficient memory usage.