From: jsteele@netcom.com (John Steele) Subject: Configuration (was Re: Kernel Buffer Size Configuration) Date: 14 Apr 1993 17:59:04 GMT
In <1q03e6INNq18@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU> Theodore Ts'o <tytso@athena.mit.edu> writes:
> From: bobm@anasazi.com (Bob Maccione)
> Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1993 04:54:20 GMT
> I looked all around but noticed that Linux doesn't have a /etc/conf
> type area that can set how much memory is allocated to the buffers.
> I'm running a 486 33 (DLC ) and notice that free tells me it's using
> 3000+ in the buffer count and even when I first login I only have about
> a meg available. Is there a way to change this in the kernel. ( I'm
> on ver 99.6 or so ).
>Linux uses dynamic buffer allocation --- so any memory which isn't used
>for holding processes is used to hold buffers; as you start needing more
>memory for your processes, Linux will automatically give up buffer space
>to free memory. And, if there is unused memory, Linux will
>automatically use it for buffer space.
>This is far surperior to fixed allocation systems for buffer space,
>since it means that your memory is much more efficiently used.
> - Ted
Yes, it most certainly is. Although this does bring up the question of
configuration...
With a NE2000 card, a multi-port serial, a sound-card, a QIC-36 tape
controller and the like, it sure would be nice to have configurable
IRQs, port addresses, etc available without multi-kernal remakes.
Has anyone else done any thinking about this?
Just some ideas,
John
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