What does the presence of swap space enable?

The presence of swap space enables the use of virtual memory when physical memory (RAM) is full. Swap space acts as an overflow area for data that is not currently being used in RAM. When the physical memory becomes fully utilized, the operating system transfers inactive pages from RAM to the swap space on the disk, freeing up RAM for active processes. This allows the system to keep running without crashing or slowing down significantly, as it can temporarily store data that is not immediately needed.

By utilizing swap space, an operating system can manage larger workloads than what the physical memory alone can accommodate, essentially expanding the available memory resources through disk storage. This is crucial in scenarios where applications require more memory than what is physically present, ensuring that users can continue to work with their applications without interruption.