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relocation
Fixing up a program's internal addresses when it gets loaded into a different memory spot than it was built for.
Compiled code contains references to addresses, but the final location in memory isn't known until load time. Relocation is the loader's job of patching all those addresses so the code and data point to the right places once loaded. Here a 'bounds-checked loader' performs relocation while verifying each patch stays within valid memory, guarding against corrupt or malicious modules.
See also
- program counter (PC)The CPU register that holds the address of the instruction currently being executed.
- POSTThe self-check a computer runs the instant it powers on, before loading anything, to confirm the hardware works.
- return frameThe saved snapshot of a thread's state that the CPU restores to resume it exactly where it left off.