[dba-Tech] Petulant PC

I found a more contemporary resource on this subject. It discusses XP and in
general provides good info, I think. I'm off to check my own settings on my
three boxes and server now.

http://www.petri.co.il/pagefile_optimization.htm

A.


On 6/9/07, Jon Tydda <jon at tydda.plus.com> wrote:
>
> Yeah, that's what I always heard too, although when I did my MS course a
> couple of years ago, the trainer was saying that surely a pc with small
> amount of RAM would nee a bigger swap file, to make up for it...
>
> Made sense to me. I give all the PCs at work a 2gb swap file and be done
> with it.
>
>
> Jon
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
> Sent: 09 June 2007 14:30
> To: 'Discussion of Hardware and Software issues'
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Petulant PC
>
> Isn't this cute:
>
> "Many sources recommend using a swap file several times as large as your
> system memory, though a large file takes longer to search through. A good
> setting is 2.5 times the amount of system memory. So a PC with 256MB of
> RAM
> should have a 640MB swap file."
>
> PC Magazine 3/11/2003
>
>
> John W. Colby
> Colby Consulting
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Fred Hooper
> Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 5:10 AM
> To: 'Discussion of Hardware and Software issues'
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Petulant PC
>
> sysinternals has a utility that defrags swap files (and some other
> non-defragable files). It runs during boot before windows loads.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of jwcolby
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 1:47 PM
> To: 'Discussion of Hardware and Software issues'
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Petulant PC
>
> Jim,
>
> We all know what fragmentation does to file access, and if the swap file
> is
> dynamically created, then it could have dozens or even hundreds of
> fragments, just the luck of the draw.
>
> The theory is that with a dedicated partition you can build a fixed size
> swap file, which is built all at once, in a partition with no
> fragmentation
> so the swap file is never fragmented.  If you must put your swap file on
> the
> main C: drive, then DEFRAG the disk very well, and then create a fixed
> size
> so that it never changes.  It will likely still be somewhat fragmented but
> won't get more fragmented.
>
> Even if you allow the system to dynamically change the size of the swap
> file, theoretically it adds / subtracts from the end of the file so it
> still
> isn't fragmented.  However you will see some speed impact as it stops what
> it is doing to "grow" the swap file.
>
> That's the theory.  Does it work that way?  Yes.  Does it have a major
> impact?  How do you tell?  Does it "waste space"?  Yea.  But with a 93gb
> (real) hard disk, setting aside 4 gig or so for a dedicated swap partition
> (for 2 gigs of real RAM) is not going to break the bank.
>
> In fact I have read that you really should have a fixed size swap file on
> EACH disk.  Whatever I was reading claimed that XP would use the swap file
> on a given disk for swapping the data being used from that disk.  I have
> no
> idea whether that is true or not and seems to be taking it to extremes.
>
> John W. Colby
> Colby Consulting
> www.ColbyConsulting.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:dba-tech-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Hale, Jim
> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2007 12:26 PM
> To: Discussion of Hardware and Software issues
> Subject: Re: [dba-Tech] Petulant PC
>
>
> <I like to run a dedicated swap file partition> What advantages have you
> seen from this? Doesn't this "waste" space if the partition is too big?
> Jim Hale
>
>
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