Definition - What does Frame mean?

A frame refers to a storage frame or central storage frame. In terms of physical memory, it is a fixed sized block in physical memory space, or a block of central storage. In computer architecture, frames are analogous to logical address space pages.

A frame also refers to physical storage hardware used for storage, like a storage area network (SAN) or network attached storage (NAS).

Techopedia explains Frame

One frame equals four kilobytes - the same size as a page or slot. In IBM's z/OS, active z/OS program parts are placed and run in central storage frames, whereas inactive programs are placed in auxiliary slots. However, all program parts - whether active or inactive - have virtual storage addresses in virtual pages.

Virtual, auxiliary and real storage managers use z/OS frames to rotate instructions and executable data. During a page-out or page-in operation, an auxiliary storage manager works with a real storage manager to locate the correct central storage frames and auxiliary storage slots to store and read parts of program executables.

The z/OS manages storage using the following units, which are each 4 KB in size:

  • Frame: A block of central storage
  • Page: A block of virtual storage
  • Slot: A block of auxiliary storage
Share this: