vMem

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What Does vMem Mean?

Virtual memory (vMem) is memory that is allocated by virtualization systems. Here, virtual memory addresses are translated to physical memory addresses within hardware setups.

Techopedia Explains vMem

The idea behind vMem is that memory and other resources can be allocated by an overall software system that splits up a physical hardware architecture into logical or virtual parts. For example, in virtualization, one physical computer can be partitioned into several virtual machines (VMs) that can play different roles in the network.

In order to implement this type of virtualization, each VM needs to be assigned resources. The system assigns items like virtual CPU, or processing power, according to what each machine needs. The same is true for vMem. Human administrators and software assign vMem according to what the machine needs. Again, vMem resources are essentially virtual markers for physical memory addresses that are handled by the system. Some of the benefits of this approach include more efficient use of hardware, as well as memory isolation, so that different software applications do not have to share memory and processing resources, which can lead to less triaging of resources within the system.

Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.