Final answer:
The resident set is the portion of a process that is currently in main memory. It is a fundamental notion in virtual memory systems, where it represents the part of the process that can be directly accessed and executed by the CPU.
Step-by-step explanation:
The portion of a process that is actually in main memory at any time is defined to be the resident set of the process. In computer systems, main memory, also known as RAM, is the place where the computer stores data and instructions that are currently being used or processed.
The resident set is a crucial concept in understanding how operating systems manage memory, particularly in the context of virtual memory systems.
In a virtual memory system, a process may be larger than the available physical memory, prompting the system to store parts of the process on the disk in an area called swap space. The portion of the process that is kept in main memory for execution is known as its resident set.
The size of the resident set can change dynamically as different parts of the process are needed (a concept known as swapping or paging). This enables the efficient use of memory and allows the execution of processes that exceed the available physical memory.
The portion of a process that is actually in main memory at any time is defined to be the resident set of the process.
The resident set is the set of pages that have been loaded into main memory and are actively being used by the process. It is important to note that the resident set can change over time as the process executes.