How does one stop cache flushing?

G

Guest

After quiting an application/game, the cache is flushed. Under W98, the cache
is flushed when necessary, not after quiting an application/game. HJow does
one stop cache flushing?
 
W

Wesley Vogel

Which particular cache are you asking about?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
G

Guest

The cache that corresponds to the Cache Bytes counter in the Performance
monitor.
_______________________________________________________
 
W

Wesley Vogel

Physical Memory (K)
The total physical memory, also called RAM, installed on your computer.
Available represents the amount of free memory that is available for use.
The System Cache shows the current physical memory used to map pages of open
files.

paging file
A hidden file on the hard disk that Windows uses to hold parts of programs
and data files that do not fit in memory. The paging file and physical
memory, or RAM, comprise virtual memory. Windows moves data from the paging
file to memory as needed and moves data from memory to the paging file to
make room for new data. Paging file is also called a swap file.

Read this.

Virtual Memory in Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
G

Guest

Wes - what Junior High school did you attend?

I read the article you suggested. The cache I am refering to is the "file
cache".
Under Wxp, when you quit an application, the file cache is flushed (file
cache size drops dramaticly and unnesssarily). How can one stop the file
cache flushing that occurs after one quits an application?

________________________________________________________
 
G

Guest

Read my reply above.

_________________________________________________________________
 
U

Uwe Sieber

b11_ said:
Under Wxp, when you quit an application, the file cache is flushed (file
cache size drops dramaticly and unnesssarily).
Click to expand...

That's not true. What you are calling 'file cache size' is the file
cache's working set.
The working set is the memory that has been recently used so Windows
expects that it is used again in the near future. Every process has
a working set and the file cache has too. A process's working set
is shown by the taskman in the process list as 'Mem usage' which is
misleading. Vista's taskman uses the true name: 'Working Set'.
The working set of a process is trimmed when its main window is
minimized. You can watch this in the taskman.
Trimming the working set doesn't mean that the memory is taken away from
its owner. It only means that the Windows memory management thinks that
it's not important to hold it in physical RAM. Applications memory
might be swapped out to the pagefile, file cache's memory might be
discarded. As long as the memory owned by the file cache is not required
for something else it's still availlable and its content valid. Read
accesses will still come out of the file cache.
Here is my simple test tool:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/filecachetest.zip

Check 'FILE_FLAG_RANDOM_ACCESS'. This flag makes Windows blow up the
file caches working set. Then click 'Write'. In the perfmon you can
seen the 'Cache Bytes' growing. When you click 'Close' Windows takes
the cache memory for this file out of the cache's working set. You
can seen the 'Cache Bytes' go down. When you click 'read' you will
see that the file is read lightning fast (some hundred MB/s) even
the cache's working set had been trimmed before. The cache's content
surived the trimming...
How can one stop the file
cache flushing that occurs after one quits an application?
Click to expand...

What it is effect you have a problem with this apart from some numbers
shown in the taskman or perfmon?


Uwe
 
W

Wesley Vogel

I believe that's a '33 in the picture. We had '34s. LOL

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In
 
G

Guest

Hi Uwe:

Under Wxp, when you quit an application or game, the Performance Monitor
"Cache Bytes" counter decreases in size drasticly and unnessasarily. Under
W98, the cache size decreases only when nessasarily, such as when memory is
needed to run a big application.

I do have a utility which shows the minimum and maximum cache workset but
Wxp sometimes seems to ignore the minimum and maximum.

If, as you have stated, the Performance Monitor "Cache Bytes" counter does
not display the true cache size then which Performance Monitor counter does?

________________________________________________________________
 
U

Uwe Sieber

b11_ said:
Hi Uwe:

Under Wxp, when you quit an application or game, the Performance Monitor
"Cache Bytes" counter decreases in size drasticly and unnessasarily.
Click to expand...

Nessasarily or not is is a question of definition. The cache
content isn't discarded, it's only the working set that is
trimmed. I see no problem here. What is your problem? These
numbers only?
Under
W98, the cache size decreases only when nessasarily, such as when memory is
needed to run a big application.
Click to expand...

So does XP. It's the working set only that is trimmed.
I do have a utility which shows the minimum and maximum cache workset but
Wxp sometimes seems to ignore the minimum and maximum.
Click to expand...

Systinternals Cacheset? Then there is nothing to ignore because
these are no settings, these are one time calls.
If, as you have stated, the Performance Monitor "Cache Bytes" counter does
not display the true cache size then which Performance Monitor counter does?
Click to expand...

It seems there is no such item.

If only a fixed cache working set size makes you happy then
update to Windows 2003 Server or Windows Vista. Here you can
set permanent limits for it:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/ntcacheset.html



Uwe
 
G

Guest

What is the difference between ntcacheset.zip and setsystemfilecachesize.zip?

So under Wxp, when you quit an application, the Performance Monitor "Cache
Bytes" counter usually decreases in size because the workset values have
changed and not the true cache size. Is that correct?

There is a way to display the true W98 cache size so
there should be some way of displaying the true Wxp cache size . Are you
positively sure there is no way of displaying the true Wxp cache size?
__________________________________________________________________
 
R

robertcollier4

Joined
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Messages
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"ATM is a tool designed to allow you to better explore how the operating system uses the System File Cache and Standby Lists on your system. In addition to some monitoring functions, on newer OSs you may also modify your system cache behavior."

>>>
I guess you might like the good old ATM, by Tim Murgent. This link I provided takes you to a Wayback Machine archived page you can download the old version 1 from, and that's important because v. 2 and v. 3 don't run on XP. ATM is not a program to use as an always on monitor program, but is convenient when you want very detailed information. And thanks for the links you've provided!
I got the ATM downloads from this page:
http---www-tmurgent-com[slash]Tools[slash]ATM[slash]Default.aspx
V1: http---www-tmurgent-com[slash]download[slash]ATM32_01000000.zip
V2: http---www-tmurgent-com[slash]download[slash]ATM_32bit_V2.zip
V3: http---www-tmurgent-com[slash]download[slash]ATM_x86_3.0.zip

POST FROM http---www-msfn-org[slash]board[slash]topic[slash]157514-memory-info-program
>>>

Manual here: http---sites-google-com[slash]site[slash]webuploads7373[slash]TMurgent_ATM_Feb7_2009.pdf
 

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