What is PSS Full Form in Computer?

The PSS full form in computer is Proportional Set Size. In computing, proportionate set size refers to the fraction of main memory (RAM) occupied by a process, which is made up of the process’s private memory plus the proportion of shared memory with one or more additional processes. The PSS is calculated by combining unshared memory with the proportion of shared memory.

Significance of PSS in computers:

The proportional set size metric is used to measure a process’s memory utilization in a computer system. It considers both private memory, which is the memory utilized only by the process, and shared memory, which is the memory shared with other processes, to provide a more realistic picture of the process’s memory footprint.

How to calculate PSS?

The formula for calculating PSS is PSS = Private Memory + (Shared Memory / Number of Sharing Processes). In this formula, Private Memory refers to the amount of memory used alone by the process, and Shared Memory refers to the amount of memory shared by other processes. PSS values are commonly represented in KB, MB, or GB. PSS is especially useful for evaluating memory utilization in multi-user and multi-process contexts, where numerous programs may share memory resources.