From: falcon@hotblack.sh.sub.org (Andreas Mengel) Subject: Re: Memory LEAKING!*=--.._ Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1993 12:19:55 GMT
Hi there!
jP@hpacv.com writes:
>Hello!
> Just installed SLS 0.99.12 and hooked that baby right up to the
>net. All went great and life was good UNTIL I did a top or a free.
> Here output RIGHT after bootup! HELP! I'm missing 15 meg!
> Check this out...........
>Here's the free output:
> total used free shared buffers
>Mem: 14964 13792 1172 1856 10696
>Swap: 0 0 0
>Here's the top output:
>Load Averages 0.74 0.33 0.35
>17 processes: 16 sleeping, 1 running, 0 zombie, 0 stopped
>CPU states: 6.5% user, 0.0% nice, 12.2% system, 81.3% idle
>Mem: 14964K av, 13840K used, 1124K free, 1928K shrd, 10688 buff
> ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^
>Swap: 0K av, 0K used, 0K free
Looks PERFECT to me :-)
Let me try to explain the mem-lines from free an top (correct me if I'm wrong):
a) 13840K + 1124K = 14964K
b) 13840K - 10688K = 3152K
c) 3152K - 1928K = 1224K
(a) total_mem = used_mem + free_mem : no memory is 'lost' (kernel-space is
already subtracted from your physical memory size to give total_mem)
(b) used_mem - buffer_mem = memory used by existing processes (process_mem)
where buffer_mem is used as a dynamic disk-cache
(c) process_mem - shared_mem = private memory for the all processes, i.e.
memory that is neither shared-executable-pages (for multiple instances of
the same executable, like getty or sh, that share some (read-only) pages)
nor shared libraries.
[ps output deleted]
> Any help at all is GREATLY appreciated!
> Thanx,
> postmaster@hpacv.com
Sigh, I wish people could really READ the output-lines from free, top et al. up
to the last character... As long as total_mem=free_mem+used_mem there is really
nothing to worry about (buffers count as used memory !!!).
Hey, enjoy, the kernel has put your expensive memory in use, no chips wasting
your money by not being used at all :-)) (Sorry, couldn't resist...)
Maybe this should be in the FAQ (if it isn't already). But who actually reads
FAQs ? I usually don't as you can see ;-)
I hope this puts an end to this 'help, the kernel has a memory leak' stuff...
--
Bye,
Falcon
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| Real Name: Andreas Mengel |
| Internet: Andreas.Mengel@arbi.Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE |
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