A memory address is a numerical value that refers to a data item within a storage medium. It can be in RAM, on a hard drive, or a temporary storage device. Memory size ranges from 8-bit byte to 64-bit integer. Memory management unit (MMU) is used to access and manage memory. The term “memory address” has changed and does not always refer to an actual physical address. It can refer to a location that can be resolved by the MMU. A memory address may not always refer to data or code in memory, but can refer to an input or output point for a peripheral device.
In relation to computers, a memory address is a numerical value that refers to a single data item within a storage medium. Computer memory location could be within a computer’s random access memory (RAM), on the hard drive or file system, or even on a temporary storage device used as a form of virtual memory when system memory is available it is insufficient. The size of the memory location depends on the architecture of the computer system or device, but generally ranges from an 8-bit byte to a 64-bit integer. There are several methods used to access and manage memory, many of which use a piece of hardware known as a memory management unit (MMU), while others rely entirely on software. All systems have a limit on the maximum memory address that can be accessed, which is usually the maximum size of the largest integer type available on the system.
The most common type of memory address refers to a location within the computer system’s RAM memory, which provides quick access to dynamically changing data. The actual information stored in computer memory can range from raw data such as numbers or text documents that are edited or displayed, to the actual program code stored in specific memory addresses as it runs. When a program has completed execution, the memory-in-use address information becomes invalid as RAM is freed up for use by the next program.
As technology has progressed, the term “memory address” has changed and, as of 2011, does not always refer to an actual physical address. Instead, it can refer to a location that can be resolved by the MMU of a computer or device. This means that the MMU provides a layer of abstraction between a programmer and a program, instead allowing the operating system or other hardware to handle memory movement and allocation as it sees fit. The intermediate translation of a memory address means that the programmer does not need to learn a new memory scheme or modify the source code for different types of computer architectures.
In many computer systems and operating systems, a memory address may not always refer to data or code in memory. There are schemes where an address could refer to an input or output point for a peripheral device such as a monitor or a virtual device such as a socket. In these cases, the information located at a specific address is actually transmitted to the hardware device it represents. This can be an incredibly efficient way to access a device like a printer, but it can also lead to serious vulnerabilities and confusion when debugging a program.
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