-Using the TLB

16.3 Virtual Address Translation

Using the TLB

Translations are maintained by the operating system, using page tables in memory. A subset of these translations are loaded into a hardware buffer called the translation-lookaside buffer or TLB. The contents of this buffer are maintained by the operating system; if an instruction needs a translation which is not already in the buffer, an exception is taken so the operating system can compute and load the needed translation. If all the necessary translations are present, the program is executed without any delays.

The TLB contains 64 entries, each of which maps a pair of virtual pages. Formats of TLB entries are shown in Figure 16-5.

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