AlgoPlus//structures / segmentation

Segmentation

A logical address ⟨segment, offset⟩ is bounds-checked, then mapped to physical memory.

Access

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Physical

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Step

1/1

Legend

Legal access

Out of bounds (trap)

Selected segment

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In a nutshell

Segmentation splits a program into logical, variable-sized segments — code, data, heap, stack — instead of uniform blocks. Each segment is recorded in a segment table by its base (where it starts in memory) and its limit (how long it is). An address names a segment and an offset; the hardware checks the offset against the limit, then adds the base to find the real location.

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Segmentation matches a programmer view of memory: separate variable-sized segments (code, data, heap, stack). A logical address is a segment plus an offset; the segment table bounds-checks the offset and adds the base. Out of bounds means a segmentation fault.

Key terms

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