Re: 2.4.28 -> ch..ch...changes....

[Nick Warne <nick@linicks.net>]

On Friday 26 November 2004 11:53, Nix wrote:
> On 24 Nov 2004, Nick Warne mused:
> > Normally memory slowly fills up, perhaps using swap for a bit under these
> > circumstances - but looking afterwards:
>
> This is a feature, not a bug. Free memory is wasted memory (although
> some has to be kept free for drivers that need GFP_ATOMIC allocations:
> i.e. `memory *now* dammit *now*'.
>
> > root@linuxamd:~# free
> >              total       used       free     shared    buffers     cached
> > Mem:       1292348     520012     772336          0      38596     327304
> > -/+ buffers/cache:     154112    1138236
> > Swap:      1959888          0    1959888
>
> The only thing I can think of that causes this is something very
> memory-hungry that's just been killed, releasing a pile of pages back to
> the system.
>
> > But whatever, I am impressed indeed - somethings changed for the good!!!
>
> I see no signs of such a change on my 2.4.28 boxes:

~snip~

Ummm.  I do, though.  Maybe the cause is I am getting more experienced, and 
building kernels now, I _do_ the right things.  But for some reason I do find 
2.4.28 a lot more responsive to memory usage - I really do.

Nick
-- 
"When you're chewing on life's gristle,
Don't grumble, Give a whistle..."