From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Mon, 5 Feb 2001 19:13:11 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Mon, 5 Feb 2001 19:13:01 -0500 Received: from 200-221-84-35.dsl-sp.uol.com.br ([200.221.84.35]:786 "HELO dumont.rtb.ath.cx") by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id ; Mon, 5 Feb 2001 19:12:50 -0500 Date: Mon, 5 Feb 2001 22:12:45 -0200 From: Rogerio Brito To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: What is the difference between buffers and cached? (was: Re: 2.4.x Shared memory question) Message-ID: <20010205221245.B9945@iname.com> Mail-Followup-To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org In-Reply-To: <3A7E49C6.BE283336@sgi.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.12i In-Reply-To: <3A7E49C6.BE283336@sgi.com> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Feb 04 2001, LA Walsh wrote: > Another oddity -- I notice things taking alot more memory > in 2.4. This coincides with 'top' consistently showing I have 0 shared > memory. AFAIK, the 2.4.0 series does share memory, but it's just the counters that are not updated, for they are costly. > total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached: > Mem: 525897728 465264640 60633088 0 82145280 287862784 > Swap: 270909440 0 270909440 This is the perfect time to ask one thing that I don't know, but that I've tried to find without success: what is the difference between "buffers" and "cached"? I'd make the wild guess that "buffers" would mean any types of buffers that the kernel maintains, while "cached" would have something to do with cached disk blocks... Are these guesses correct or completely, way off? Thanks for any hints, Roger... -- =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Rogerio Brito - rbrito@iname.com - http://www.ime.usp.br/~rbrito/ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/