Memory Map

In computer science, a memory map is a structure of data (which usually resides in memory itself) that indicates how memory is laid out. Memory maps can have a different meaning in different parts of the operating system.

In the boot process, a memory map is passed on from the firmware in order to instruct an operating system kernel about memory layout. It contains the information regarding the size of total memory, any reserved regions and may also provide other details specific to the architecture.

In virtual memory implementations and memory management units, a memory map refers page tables, which store the mapping between a certain process's virtual memory layout and how that space relates to physical memory addresses.

In native debugger programs, a memory map refers to the mapping between loaded executable/library files and memory regions. These memory maps are used to resolve memory addresses (such as function pointers) to actual symbols.