docs(amiga): complete AmigaOS 3.1/3.2 developer reference — 172 files across 17 sections

Comprehensive technical documentation covering:
- Hardware: OCS/ECS/AGA custom chip registers, Copper & Blitter deep dives
- Boot sequence: cold boot through startup-sequence
- Binary format: HUNK executable spec, relocation, debug info
- Linking & ABI: .fd files, LVO tables, register calling conventions
- Exec kernel: tasks, interrupts, memory, signals, semaphores
- AmigaDOS: file I/O, FFS/OFS layout, CLI/Shell scripting
- Graphics: planar bitmaps, Copper programming, HAM/EHB modes
- Intuition: screens, windows, IDCMP, BOOPSI
- Devices: trackdisk, SCSI, serial, timer, audio, keyboard
- Libraries: utility, expansion, IFFParse, locale, ARexx
- Networking: bsdsocket API, SANA-II, TCP/IP stack comparison
- Toolchain: GCC, vasm/vlink, SAS/C, NDK, debugging
- Reverse engineering: IDA/Ghidra setup, compiler fingerprints, case studies
- CPU & MMU: 68040/060 emulation libs, PMMU, cache management
- Driver development: SANA-II, Picasso96/RTG, AHI audio

All files include breadcrumb navigation. No local paths or proprietary content.
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[← Home](../README.md) · [Exec Kernel](README.md)
# Memory Management — AllocMem, FreeMem, MemHeader
## Overview
AmigaOS memory management is built directly into `exec.library`. There is no `malloc`/`free` in the OS itself — applications call `AllocMem` and `FreeMem` which operate on a linked list of `MemHeader` regions representing physical RAM.
---
## MemHeader — Memory Region Descriptor
```c
/* exec/memory.h — NDK39 */
struct MemHeader {
struct Node mh_Node; /* ln_Type=NT_MEMORY, ln_Pri=region priority */
/* ln_Name = e.g. "chip memory" */
UWORD mh_Attributes; /* MEMF_* flags describing this region */
struct MemChunk *mh_First; /* pointer to first free chunk in this region */
APTR mh_Lower; /* lowest byte address of region */
APTR mh_Upper; /* highest byte address + 1 */
ULONG mh_Free; /* total free bytes currently */
};
struct MemChunk {
struct MemChunk *mc_Next; /* next free chunk (NULL = end of list) */
ULONG mc_Bytes; /* size of this free chunk in bytes */
};
```
The OS maintains a doubly-linked list of `MemHeader` regions at `SysBase→MemList`. On a stock A1200:
- `"chip memory"` covering `$000000$1FFFFF` (2 MB Chip RAM)
- `"fast memory"` covering `$200000$9FFFFF` (up to 8 MB Fast RAM if fitted)
---
## MEMF_ Flag Constants
```c
/* exec/memory.h — NDK39 */
#define MEMF_ANY 0L /* no placement preference */
#define MEMF_PUBLIC (1L<<0) /* accessible by all hardware/software */
#define MEMF_CHIP (1L<<1) /* must be in Chip RAM (DMA-reachable) */
#define MEMF_FAST (1L<<2) /* prefer Fast RAM (CPU-only, faster) */
#define MEMF_CLEAR (1L<<16) /* zero-fill the allocation */
#define MEMF_LARGEST (1L<<17) /* return single largest free block */
#define MEMF_REVERSE (1L<<18) /* allocate from top of list */
#define MEMF_TOTAL (1L<<19) /* AvailMem: report total, not largest free */
```
**Chip RAM** is required for anything the custom chips DMA from — bitmaps, audio samples, Copper lists, blitter sources/destinations, sprite data. The custom chip DMA controllers cannot reach Fast RAM.
**Fast RAM** has no DMA contention with the custom chips, making it faster for pure CPU use.
---
## AllocMem / FreeMem
```c
/* exec/execbase.h — LVO -198 */
APTR AllocMem(ULONG byteSize, ULONG requirements);
/* Returns: pointer to allocated block, or NULL on failure */
/* LVO -210 */
void FreeMem(APTR memoryBlock, ULONG byteSize);
```
### Usage
```c
/* Allocate 512 bytes of Chip RAM, zero-filled: */
UBYTE *buf = AllocMem(512, MEMF_CHIP | MEMF_CLEAR);
if (!buf) { /* handle out-of-memory */ }
/* Free it: */
FreeMem(buf, 512);
```
> [!IMPORTANT]
> `FreeMem` requires the **exact same size** as `AllocMem`. The OS does not store the size internally — you must track it yourself.
---
## AllocVec / FreeVec (OS 2.0+)
```c
/* LVO -684 (exec.library 36+) */
APTR AllocVec(ULONG byteSize, ULONG requirements);
void FreeVec(APTR memoryBlock); /* LVO -690 */
```
`AllocVec` stores the size in the 4 bytes immediately before the returned pointer, allowing `FreeVec` to work without a size argument. Prefer this in new code.
---
## AvailMem — Query Free Memory
```c
/* LVO -216 */
ULONG AvailMem(ULONG requirements);
```
```c
ULONG chip_free = AvailMem(MEMF_CHIP);
ULONG fast_free = AvailMem(MEMF_FAST);
ULONG total_chip = AvailMem(MEMF_CHIP | MEMF_TOTAL);
```
---
## Pool Allocator (OS 3.0+)
For many small allocations, use the pool API which reduces fragmentation:
```c
/* LVO -696 */
APTR pool = CreatePool(MEMF_ANY, 4096, 1024);
/* puddleSize=4096, threshSize=1024 */
APTR p1 = AllocPooled(pool, 32); /* LVO -702 */
FreePooled(pool, p1, 32); /* LVO -708 */
DeletePool(pool); /* LVO -714 */
```
---
## Memory Map (A1200 Example)
| Range | Type | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| `$000000$000400` | Chip | 68k exception vectors |
| `$000400$000BFF` | Chip | exec library, SysBase |
| `$000C00$1FFFFF` | Chip | Application allocations, DMA buffers |
| `$200000$9FFFFF` | Fast | Fast RAM expansion (if present) |
| `$A00000$BFFFFF` | Slow/Ranger | A500 slow RAM (not on A1200) |
| `$BFD000$BFDFFF` | CIA | CIA-B registers |
| `$BFE001$BFEFFF` | CIA | CIA-A registers |
| `$C00000$D7FFFF` | Slow | A500 slow RAM expansion |
| `$D80000$DFFFFF` | Custom | Custom chip registers ($DFF000) |
| `$E00000$E7FFFF` | ROM mirror | (A500) |
| `$F80000$FFFFFF` | ROM | Kickstart 3.1 (512 KB) |
---
## References
- NDK39: `exec/memory.h`, `exec/execbase.h`
- ADCD 2.1: `AllocMem`, `FreeMem`, `AllocVec`, `FreeVec`, `CreatePool`
- `01_hardware/common/address_space.md` — full address map
- *Amiga ROM Kernel Reference Manual: Exec* — memory management chapter