OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Setup & Installation
Tweaking eCS for low memory system
Andi B.:
As low memory is no problem with standard hardware for eCS since years I forgot how to tweak OS/2 - eCS for such situations. I've searched a while but did not get very much information except the obvious ones - cache sizes.
What I want to do is to tune eCS for a Pentium like system with 266MHz and 64MB memory. This is a small board which boots eCS from a 16GB CF-Card and works reasonable well. I reduced HPFS cache, disabled CDROM support, remed out all DOS network drivers, disabled JFS... But eCenter still shows about >56MB used and 6MB swapper size after startup.
Any pointer to documentation about appreciated.
Basically what I need is - WPS, and network. Maybe I should deinstall Netbios as TCP/IP is probably enough for me. But does anyone know how much this will lower memory utilization?
Dave Yeo:
It's been so long since I've thought about it :) One thing that comes to mind is to lower the number of threads in config.sys
Doug Bissett:
--- Quote ---I've searched a while but did not get very much information except the obvious ones - cache sizes.
--- End quote ---
Those would be the most useful ones. I think you have done most of what is needed, except to make the initial swap file size larger, to prevent thrashing. You have what used to be considered a "huge" hard disk (16 GB), use some of it for a big swap file (perhaps 200 meg would be a good starting point). Also, remember that you should measure the free real memory, after doing something that will force all the swapable parts to swap out, and stay there.
64 meg of memory was considered to be "huge" at one time, but programs were also written to handle low memory. Try to eliminate memory hogs, and use older programs, when they will do the job.
--- Quote ---But eCenter still shows about >56MB used and 6MB swapper size after startup.
--- End quote ---
Hmmm. Have you considered NOT using eWorkPlace (XWorkPlace)? I think that uses a lot of memory. Any other add ons (DragText, nice, etc.) also use memory. Basically, if it wasn't part of Warp 3, don't use it.
A good chunk of OS/2 will swap out, and stay there until needed (usually error handlers), unless the initial swap size is too small, which will cause it to be swapped back in again. You still have lots of memory, but some of it will need to be swapped out, before it can be used, then, it will swap back in again, if the initial swap file size is too small. Of course a program like FireFox will eat up 64 meg of memory, just starting up.
--- Quote ---Maybe I should deinstall Netbios as TCP/IP is probably enough for me. But does anyone know how much this will lower memory utilization?
--- End quote ---
I don't think it will be a lot. NETBIOS was designed to run in what we now call "low memory" situations, and I think a lot of it will swap out, and stay there, until needed. It is pretty easy to remove it, and put it back again, to see what happens.
Andreas Schnellbacher:
--- Quote from: Andi B. on January 02, 2014, 02:16:35 pm ---As low memory is no problem with standard hardware for eCS since years I forgot how to tweak OS/2 - eCS for such situations. I've searched a while but did not get very much information except the obvious ones - cache sizes.
--- End quote ---
Usually the main problem is Shared Memory. Even when I can't explain it in theory, advancing the FS Caches led sooner to critical situations, up to non-booting systems.
--- Quote ---What I want to do is to tune eCS for a Pentium like system with 266MHz and 64MB memory.
--- End quote ---
OK, probably you don't have a HD from the times when such amount of RAM was standard. Don't use the deafult values and lower the FS cache. Read "Die OS/2-Akten" from Christian or maybe ConfigTool has also some info on that.
--- Quote ---Basically what I need is - WPS,
--- End quote ---
Warp 3 probably used less mem.
--- Quote ---and network.
--- End quote ---
Then it seems like Warp 4.5x is recommended.
Sorry, no other info from here.
Andi B.:
--- Quote ---"Die OS/2-Akten"
--- End quote ---
All links I found points to http://www.os2world.com/os2files/ which seems to not exist anymore :(
--- Quote ---Caches
--- End quote ---
currently I use 2MB for HPFS. Tried 1MB but think 2MB is better. 16GB is not that small but it works only in non Busmaster modes (!BM). So disk speed is not as fast as I would like it.
JFS is remed out as it seems not to work on this system. Guess chkdsk for JFS produces my 'No swap space left' traps so changed all partitions back to HPFS.
FAT - current setting DISKCACHE=128,LW,32. Advices for better setting?
CD-ROM is remed out as it does not work anyway.
--- Code: ---SWAPPATH=t:\OS2\SWAP_M 2048 16394
--- End code ---
As suggested I will increase this further.
--- Code: ---THREADS=512
VIRTUALADDRESSLIMIT=512
--- End code ---
Should I lower this further?
--- Quote ---NETBIOS
--- End quote ---
I forgot to mention this is a copied installation from a Server (Server from ACP2 over eCS2.0beta4). Maybe reverting back to simple PEER will save some memory but not sure how much. 'Net stop server' frees about 4MB.
--- Quote ---eWorkplace
--- End quote ---
Any clue how much can be saved when removing it? Fears when I deinstall and install again all my settings are lost. Ok, can make a backup before.
Btw. any good tool to see how much memory each process uses?
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