<P> The memory management function keeps track of the status of each memory location, either allocated or free . It determines how memory is allocated among competing processes, deciding which gets memory, when they receive it, and how much they are allowed . When memory is allocated it determines which memory locations will be assigned . It tracks when memory is freed or unallocated and updates the status . </P> <P> Single allocation is the simplest memory management technique . All the computer's memory, usually with the exception of a small portion reserved for the operating system, is available to the single application . MS - DOS is an example of a system which allocates memory in this way . An embedded system running a single application might also use this technique . </P> <P> A system using single contiguous allocation may still multitask by swapping the contents of memory to switch among users . Early versions of the Music operating system used this technique . </P> <P> Partitioned allocation divides primary memory into multiple memory partitions, usually contiguous areas of memory . Each partition might contain all the information for a specific job or task . Memory management consists of allocating a partition to a job when it starts and unallocating it when the job ends . </P>

What is the role of the os with respect to files