Kbase P33942: How to limit the amount of system cache that the Windows Server will use?
| Autor |
Progress Software Corporation - Progress |
| Acesso |
Público |
| Publicação |
11/13/2008 |
|
Status: Verified
GOAL:
How to limit the amount of system cache that the Windows Server will use?
GOAL:
How to limit the amount of cache that a process will use on Windows?
FACT(s) (Environment):
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Progress/OpenEdge Product Family
FIX:
The default configuration for Windows 2000 Servers is to Maximize data throughput for network applications. Because this value can degrade service performance, it is not appropriate for application servers. This generally causes performance drop on a Windows Server due to paging to disk, where the Server appears to freeze.
For example, during an online backup, Windows will use the maximum available memory to cache the backup file that is being created. Over time, all the memory is consumed and this causes paging which results in a severe peformance drop.
The registry entry:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\LargeSystemCache
determines if the system maintains a standard size or a large size file system cache. This in turn influences how often the system writes changed pages to disk.
Increasing the size of the file system cache generally improves server performance, but it reduces the physical memory space available to applications and services. Similarly, writing system data less frequently minimizes use of the disk subsystem, but the changed pages occupy memory that might otherwise be used by applications.
It is recommended for servers running applications that do their own memory caching, such as a Progress Database, and for applications that perform best with ample memory, such as Internet Information Services, that the value of this entry is changed to 0 by selecting the:
"Maximize data throughput for network applications"
option in Network and Dial-up Connections.
To change the value of this entry on Windows 2000 Server:
1. use the Server Optimization tab in Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click My Network Places, click Properties,
3. Right-click Local Area Connection, click Properties,
4. Click File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks,
5. and then click the Properties button.
6a. To set the value of this entry to 0, select the Maximize data throughput for network applications option.
6b. To set the value to 1, select Maximize data throughput for network applications.
Meaning of Values:
0 Establishes a standard size file-system cache of approximately 8 MB. The system allows changed pages to remain in physical memory until the number of available pages drops to approximately 1,000.
1 Establishes a large system cache working set that can expand to physical memory, minus 4 MB, if needed. The system allows changed pages to remain in physical memory until the number of available pages drops to approximately 250.
The system sets the value of this entry to 1 as default at installation of Windows 2000 Server. But many applications, such as SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange, change the value of this entry to 0.
Setting the value of this entry to 1 is not appropriate for computers running Windows 2000 Professional, the Network and Dial-up Connections Windows 2000 Professional cannot be used to change the value of this entry.