[linux-help] Re: kernel not freeing memory.

[Weqaar Ali Janjua <wxjanjua@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,
   I tested this on all of my servers running kernel-2.2.18 with lids and
openwall patches, lids is properly configured and running smoothly. I run a
process,  I tar some 2GB file and look at the memory status, obvioulsy the
memory is consumed, say from 30MB to 90MB out of total of 128MB memory. Now
I terminate the process and check the memory status, its still 90MB in use
....now I run another process which starts taking up additional memory not
from the free(supposed to be) block!! One of my machines even crashed under
heavy load, now I have set the core limit to '0'. Does that has to do
anything with LIDS with OPENWALL???? Openwall is supposed to destroy memory
segments not in use!! I tried to upgrade to 2.2.19 kernel but its giving me
init problems, says "init not found, tried passing init= option to the
kernel", 2.2.18 is booting from the same root and everything is the same as
2.2.18 for 2.2.19!!!
Thanx,
Weqaar

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jeff Vian" <jvian10@xxxxxxxx>
To: <linux-help@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2001 7:21 PM
Subject: [linux-help] Re: kernel not freeing memory.


>
> Weqaar Ali Janjua wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >  My linux box is running 2.2.18 kernel recompiled(non-modular) with
openwall
> > and lids patches. Kernel does'nt seem to free memory after running a
> > process, supposing free memory before running any process is 28MB, the
> > process takes up 20MB additional memory and after the process terminates
the
> > kernel does'nt seem to free memory instead shows 48MB in use. Any
hint???
> > Thanx.
> >
> > ----------------------------------
> > A DREAM IS A GOAL WITH A DEADLINE!
> > Weqaar Ali Janjua
> > B.S.Computer Engineering
> > WSU
> > ----------------------------------
> >
> > -- This is the linux-help@xxxxxxxxx list.  To unsubscribe,
> > visit http://tmp2.complete.org/cgi-bin/listargate-aclug.cgi
>
> I believe the memory is actually idle and available, just not marked as
> free in the way it is displayed for you. If you ran another process that
> needed that memory it would use it.  However, you have to look at the
> way memory is used. Just because a process quits does NOT mean the
> memory is freed instantly.  If another instance of the same process gets
> started it will use what is already in memory instead of loading it
> again from the disk.  That makes things faster and much more efficient.
>
> for example, I have a lot of processes running and starting and stopping
> stuff all the time as a database server.  Yet  the results of the free
> command are:
>
> total used free   shared     buffers cached
> Mem: 513288 332912 180376        0       41728 87364
> +/- buffers/cache 203820 309468
> Swap: 524656      4 524652
>
> As you can see, very little is swapping out of memory because swap is
> virtually unused, real memory is still available, and buffers and cache
> are significant.
>
> Run the free command occasionally and see what is actually happening
> over a long time. One snapshot means nothing.
> -- This is the linux-help@xxxxxxxxx list.  To unsubscribe,
> visit http://tmp2.complete.org/cgi-bin/listargate-aclug.cgi
>

-- This is the linux-help@xxxxxxxxx list.  To unsubscribe,
visit http://tmp2.complete.org/cgi-bin/listargate-aclug.cgi