[dba-Tech] wXP virtual memory question

John W. Colby jwcolby at colbyconsulting.com
Wed Jan 12 08:18:16 CST 2005


>I have heard or read that the pagefile.sys setting should be twice the RAM
available.

I tend to build a dedicated partition which is 1.5 times the max size my
memory could possibly be (biggest the machine can handle), then place the
swap file on that drive and never store anything else on it.  I then allow
the system to manipulate the page file as it sees fit.  One big issue with
the page file is fragmentation on a normal drive, if it is used at all (and
it may not be if you have enough memory) then the page file gets fragmented
just like any other file if it is out on a regular partition.  Having to hit
the page file at all is enough of a drag on the system without the
additional slow down of a fragmented page file.

By placing it on it's own partition, then it expands and contracts linearly
with no fragmentation.  I have also heard however that if you use the
dedicated partition trick, just set the page file to the size of the
partition.  It then will build the page file one time and never "take time"
later to expand or contract the file.  Or I guess just do as Jon mentioned
and set the two numbers to the same size.

The hiberfile can be killed since once you are loaded it is not in use.
When it hibernates, it will create a new one.  AFAICT you can't determine
where that file is created.  The file is a literal "memory dump" of the
state at the time the computer is closed.  The idea is to read memory as if
it were a big PROM, load this big PROM into ram as the system comes up and
then execute out of the "PROM".  The PROM of course is all of the programs
that you had loaded at the time you shut down.  It works just fine on my
laptop, though I must admit that I do perform a normal close / open cycle
occasionally just for drill so to speak.

John W. Colby
www.ColbyConsulting.com 

Contribute your unused CPU cycles to a good cause:
http://folding.stanford.edu/

-----Original Message-----
From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Arthur Fuller
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2005 8:31 AM
To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
Subject: [dba-Tech] wXP virtual memory question


Actually, three related questions:

1. The interface is quite quite confusing (or alternatively, my senior 
moments are becoming more frequent). I want to move the Windows 
pagefile.sys from drive e: to drive f:. It's not readily apparent how to 
do this.

2. I have heard or read that the pagefile.sys setting should be twice 
the RAM available. Is this just old-folks' tales or is there sense 
behind this alleged maxim?

3. I just noticed another file 260MB large called hiberfil.sys. What is 
this? Can I kill it? Can I move it?

TIA,
Arthur

>  
>


-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.6.10 - Release Date: 1/10/2005

_______________________________________________
dba-Tech mailing list
dba-Tech at databaseadvisors.com
http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/dba-tech
Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com






More information about the dba-Tech mailing list