CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

What type of memory allows a virtual machine to start with a smaller amount and increase as needed?

1. Startup RAM

2. Static memory

3. Virtual memory

4. Dynamic memory

The correct answer is: Dynamic memory

Dynamic memory is a technology that enables a virtual machine to start with a smaller allocation of memory, with the capability to increase that allocation as required during its operation. This is particularly advantageous in environments where workloads can vary significantly. By using dynamic memory, a hypervisor can optimize resource allocation, ensuring that running virtual machines have access to the memory they need when they need it, without unnecessarily reserving large amounts of memory upfront. With dynamic memory, the hypervisor monitors the memory consumption of virtual machines and can adjust the resources allocated to them dynamically. This contributes to more efficient use of hardware resources, allowing for better scalability and performance when managing multiple virtual machines on the same physical host. This contrasts with static memory, where a fixed amount of memory is allocated to a virtual machine at startup and does not change regardless of the workload. Virtual memory, while related to the overall management of memory in computing, refers more broadly to using disk space to simulate additional RAM, rather than the flexible allocation of memory resources to virtual machines. Startup RAM specifically refers to the initial amount of memory allocated at the time the virtual machine starts but lacks the flexibility of dynamic memory.