Re: Upgraded to 4GB RAM - Question about "Total Extended Server Memory"

Andrew C Taubman

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Oct 13, 2005, 1:19:39 AM10/13/05

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Are you sure you didn't upgrade to 5gb?
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Andrew C Taubman
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sco...@clackamas.edu

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Oct 13, 2005, 12:18:35 AM10/13/05

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Hello,
I just upgraded my new Dell PE2850 servers from 2GB to 4GB RAM, and
something I didn't expect shows up on the "memory" command.

Total Server Memory: 3,xxx,xxx Kilobytes
Total Extended Server Memory 1,xxx Megabytes

What is "Total Extended Server Memory" ? Am I getting the full 4GB? I
ask because NRM seems to only show 3 GB in use.

Thanks,
Scott

Joseph Moore [SysOp]

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Oct 13, 2005, 8:05:13 AM10/13/05

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According to Dell, this is a consequence of the new PCI-X architecture.
The BIOS reserves the up to 1GB of address space for PCI devices (and
you have no control over it), and then maps the 4th GB of memory to
extended memory (which I think only cache can use)

So in a 4GB machine, you will have:

3GB RAM
1GB PCI address space
1GB Extended Memory (remember the old 286 and 386 machines?)

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Joe Moore
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sco...@clackamas.edu

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Oct 13, 2005, 12:38:24 PM10/13/05

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You are right. Just got off the phone with Dell. Wow, looks like I'm
going to buying more RAM.
Thanks,
Scott

jedijeffR...@gmail.com

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Oct 13, 2005, 2:45:07 PM10/13/05

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Dang that is crazy! I just installed my first 4gb box on a poweredge 2850.
I get 3.6gb server memory and 524mg of extended memory.

Joseph Moore [SysOp]

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Oct 14, 2005, 7:09:42 AM10/14/05

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jedijeffR...@gmail.com wrote:

> I get 3.6gb server memory and 524mg of extended memory.

it depends on the PCI devices in the machine as to how much address
space is reserved - if you boot NetWare and type MEMORY, what does it
show?

Joseph Moore [SysOp]

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Oct 14, 2005, 7:09:42 AM10/14/05

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sco...@clackamas.edu wrote:

> Wow, looks like I'm
> going to buying more RAM.

why buy more RAM? you still have 4GB - just one GB is up in extended
memory :)

Jeff Johnson

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Oct 14, 2005, 12:04:35 PM10/14/05

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total server memory: 3,669,374
total extended server memory: 524,288

I have no pci cards in the server. odd.

Message has been deleted

Joseph Moore [SysOp]

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Oct 15, 2005, 12:25:38 PM10/15/05

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cor...@visi.com wrote:

> I remember hearing at Brainshare 2005
> that Extended memory is a lot slower than normal memory,

it is slower, but I don't know how much slower - and it is still faster
than disk access, yes?

Joseph Moore [SysOp]

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Oct 15, 2005, 12:25:38 PM10/15/05

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Jeff Johnson wrote:

> I have no pci cards in the server.

still have pci devices :)