This directory contains documentation about Windows' virtual memory implementation. Microsoft Windows features a sophisticated memory management system that has evolved across multiple versions of the operating system. These resources cover the architecture, mechanisms, and internals of how Windows manages memory.
The following PDF resources are available in this directory:
- Windows Internals Part 1_6th Edition.pdf: Comprehensive coverage of Windows memory management from the definitive Windows internals book series
- Windows System Internals 7e Part 1.pdf: Updated content on Windows memory architecture in the 7th edition, covering newer Windows versions
- Under_the_Hood_of_NET_Management.pdf: Specialized documentation on .NET memory management and its interaction with the Windows memory subsystem
- Address Space Layout - How Windows organizes the virtual address space (user vs. kernel space)
- Virtual Address Descriptor (VAD) Tree - Data structure tracking memory allocations within a process
- User/Kernel Split - Division between user mode and kernel mode memory regions
- Page Frame Database (PFN DB) - Database tracking the status of all physical memory pages
- Working Set Manager - Controls which pages remain in physical memory for each process
- Section Objects - Kernel objects for memory-mapped files and shared memory
- Store Manager - Manages page file and memory compression
- Page Tables - Multi-level structures mapping virtual to physical addresses
- Demand Paging - Loading memory pages only when accessed
- Copy-on-Write (COW) - Optimization for memory duplication
- Page Fault Handling - How Windows resolves page faults
- Data Execution Prevention (DEP) - Prevents code execution from non-executable memory pages
- Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) - Randomizes memory addresses to prevent exploits
- Kernel Patch Protection (KPP/PatchGuard) - Prevents unauthorized modification of kernel structures
- Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) - Hypervisor-enforced memory protections
- Page File Configuration - How Windows configures and uses the page file
- System-Managed vs. Custom - Different approaches to page file sizing
- Multiple Page Files - Using multiple page files across different drives
- Pool Memory - Paged and nonpaged kernel memory pools
- Look-Aside Lists - Optimized memory allocation for frequently used objects
- Heap Manager - User mode memory allocation management
- Large Pages - Support for larger memory pages to improve performance
- Garbage Collection - How .NET manages memory allocation and cleanup
- Object Generations - The generational approach in .NET garbage collection
- Managed Heap - .NET's managed memory space
- Finalization - Resource cleanup in .NET memory management
- Resource Monitor - Built-in tool for memory usage monitoring
- Performance Counters - Metrics for tracking memory performance
- Memory Compression - Windows 10's memory compression technology
- Sysinternals Tools - Utilities like RAMMap and VMMap for memory analysis
- Begin with the fundamental concepts in Windows Internals Part 1_6th Edition.pdf
- Explore updated information in Windows System Internals 7e Part 1.pdf
- For .NET-specific memory management, refer to Under_the_Hood_of_NET_Management.pdf
- Use the online resources linked above to deepen your understanding of specific topics
- Windows Memory Management Documentation
- Windows Memory Management Blog Posts
- Channel 9 - Windows Memory Management
- Windows Internals Blog
- "Windows Internals" by Mark Russinovich, David Solomon, and Alex Ionescu
- "Windows System Programming" by Johnson M. Hart
- "Windows 10 System Programming" by Pavel Yosifovich
- Windows Performance Toolkit
- Sysinternals Suite (RAMMap, VMMap, Process Explorer)
- Windows Driver Kit (WDK) - For kernel memory debugging
- WinDbg - Windows Debugger with memory analysis capabilities
Feel free to submit pull requests with additional resources, corrections, or summaries related to Windows memory management.