Where Does My Memory Come From? - Kernel Memory Management Deep Dive

Explore the intricate mechanisms behind Linux kernel memory management in this 35-minute conference talk from Kernel Recipes 2025. Dive deep into the kernel APIs that enable userland memory mapping, examining their internal workings and how the kernel tracks memory allocations. Learn about memory lifecycle events including reclaim and migration processes, understand the complexities of process forking and its impact on memory management, and discover how Virtual Memory Area (VMA) merging and splitting operations maintain system efficiency. Gain insight into the fundamental yet complex machinery that powers one of computing's most essential operations - memory allocation - through detailed analysis of the kernel's memory management subsystem.