For many students, virtual memory serves as the introduction to abstraction in the context of software-hardware interfaces, but the sheer scale and associated complexity of virtual memory make it a difficult concept to grasp holistically. To address this, visual simulators have been developed and proven to be effective in enhancing student understanding of computer organization topics. However, a combination of limited user-friendliness, comprehensiveness, and accessibility can make existing virtual memory simulators difficult to approach for students. Thus, this demonstration will introduce the University of Washington’s CSE351 Virtual Memory Simulator, an interactive web tool that lets users observe the process of address translation in a more approachable manner. It improves upon the functionality and usability of existing graphical user interface (GUI) simulators by providing more comprehensive simulation (ranging from paging in and out of disk at a high level to writing individual bytes depending on permission bits), user-friendliness (auto-highlight and auto-focuses on critical states), and user instructions and concept explanations. Furthermore, the virtual memory simulator is designed as a companion tool to the CSE351 Cache Simulator and is structured similarly, making it easy to pick up when taught in conjunction with the cache simulator. The CSE351 Virtual Memory Simulator can be integrated into virtually any computer organization or operating systems course. The demonstration will include examples of student exercises and other ways to integrate the virtual memory simulator into courses.
Fri 22 MarDisplayed time zone: Pacific Time (US & Canada) change
10:00 - 10:45 | |||
10:00 45mDemonstration | Demo 3A: Bringing a Visual Memory Model to VS CodeCC Demos Matt Schwartz Kansas State University, Nathan H. Bean Kansas State University, Joshua Weese Kansas State University, Russell Feldhausen Kansas State University | ||
10:00 45mDemonstration | Demo 3B: UW CSE351 Virtual Memory Simulator Demos | ||
10:00 45mDemonstration | Demo 3C: Algovision - an algorithm visualization tool Demos Ludek Kucera Charles University |