NAME
mem, kmem —
memory files
DESCRIPTION
The special file /dev/mem is an interface to the physical memory of the computer. Byte offsets in this file are interpreted as physical memory addresses. Reading and writing this file is equivalent to reading and writing memory itself. Only offsets within the bounds of /dev/mem are allowed.
Kernel virtual memory is accessed through the interface /dev/kmem in the same manner as /dev/mem. Only kernel virtual addresses that are currently mapped to memory are allowed.
On landisk, physical memory is contiguous. The kernel virtual
memory begins at address 0xc0000000.
Writeability of these devices is controlled by the system securelevel(7).
FILES
- /dev/mem
- /dev/kmem
SEE ALSO
HISTORY
The /dev/mem and /dev/kmem files appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.