Memory usage

Bernhard Breinbauer infopipe at gmx.net
Wed Mar 7 07:44:06 UTC 2007


Observation and evaluation of memory usage in linux is a rather difficult 
topic. Some starting points:
Tools for memory evaluation:
http://ktown.kde.org/~seli/memory/analysis.html
KDE memory performance:
http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/2350
http://ktown.kde.org/~seli/memory/desktop_benchmark.html

HTH,
bernhard


On Wednesday 07 March 2007 wrote Larry Hartman:
> Follow-on question to this thread...I have been studying my memory
> situation closely for last few days on my laptop.  The reason being that a
> month ago it was hovering around 250MB out of 1GB.  Last few days It has
> been 400MB or higher.  I downloaded a utility that allows me to watch it
> graphically, showing me what programs are using it.  I discovered that
> MYSQL was using 130MB, Amarok, 70MB, and Artsd (2 instances) 65M.
>
> I looked on my desktop which has 378MB memory as a comparison, and Artsd is
> only using < 10MB.  Amarok is comparable, and due to performance
> limitations I have not loaded MYSQL.
>
> Can anyone explain to me why Artsd-the KDE sound architecture-is using so
> much on the one and so little on the other.  Is it because one has more
> memory to use and Artsd is going to use it?
>
> Larry
>
> On Tuesday 06 March 2007 07:57:28 pm Earl Violet wrote:
> > --- Leonardo de Miranda Cabral <leomcabral at gmail.com> wrote:
> > > Hi all,
> > >
> > > I have a notebook with 1GB Ram memory. I was taking a look in the
> > > memory usage
> > > of this notebook and guess what, with almost nothing
> > > (applications) loaded
> > > the memory that Kubuntu show as used with the 'free' command is
> > > 750MB.
> > > How????? I even stopped X (kdm), apache2, postgresql, everything...
> > > I`m
> > > getting crazy??!!! Why kubuntu don`t free this memory??? I went to
> > > a WinXP
> > > SP2 box with 512MB RAM that my father has and with a lot of
> > > application
> > > loaded it still hava free memory at about 200MB. For you guys help
> > > me lower
> > > my memory usage here a some 'free' and 'ps' outputs. [1] and [2]
> > > are outputs
> > > when nothing is loaded (neither X), and [3] and [4]  with some
> > > default
> > > applications that usually starts with kde. Is this a kernel bug???
> > > If can any
> > > one help me or explain me this strange memory usage...
> > >
> > > ----------------- [1] -> free -m
> > > ---------------------------------------------
> > >              total       used       free     shared    buffers
> > > cached
> > > Mem:          1002        761        240          0         36
> > >   659
> > > -/+ buffers/cache:         65        937
> > > Swap:         2933          0       2933
> >
> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >-- --------
> >
> > > ----------------- [2] -> ps aux
> > > ---------------------------------------------
> > > USER       PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME
> > > COMMAND
> > > root         1  0.0  0.0   1632   612 ?        Ss   18:32   0:01
> > > /sbin/init
> > > splash
> > > root         2  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [migration/0]
> > > root         3  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        SN   18:32   0:00
> > > [ksoftirqd/0]
> > > root         4  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [watchdog/0]
> > > root         5  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [events/0]
> > > root         6  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [khelper]
> > > root         7  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kthread]
> > > root         9  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kblockd/0]
> > > root        10  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kacpid]
> > > root        11  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kacpi_notify]
> > > root       102  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kseriod]
> > > root       135  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [pdflush]
> > > root       136  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [pdflush]
> > > root       137  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [kswapd0]
> > > root       138  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [aio/0]
> > > root      1704  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [khubd]
> > > root      1728  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [khpsbpkt]
> > > root      1767  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [knodemgrd_0]
> > > root      1809  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kjournald]
> > > root      1884  0.0  0.0   1600   544 ?        Ss   18:32   0:00
> > > //sbin/logd
> > > root      2027  0.0  0.1   2612  1040 ?        S<s  18:32
> > > 0:00 /sbin/udevd --daemon
> > > root      2786  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [shpchpd]
> > > root      2797  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [kpsmoused]
> > > root      2915  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [pccardd]
> > > root      2916  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [tifm0]
> > > root      3033  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [ipw2200/0]
> > > root      3624  0.0  0.0   1600   508 tty2     Ss+  18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/getty
> > > 38400 tty2
> > > root      3625  0.0  0.0   1600   508 tty3     Ss+  18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/getty
> > > 38400 tty3
> > > root      3626  0.0  0.0   1596   504 tty4     Ss+  18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/getty
> > > 38400 tty4
> > > root      3627  0.0  0.0   1600   508 tty5     Ss+  18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/getty
> > > 38400 tty5
> > > root      3628  0.0  0.0   1600   504 tty6     Ss+  18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/getty
> > > 38400 tty6
> > > root      3853  0.0  0.1   2200  1164 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/acpid -c /etc/acpi/events -s /var/run/acpid.socket
> > > root      3948  0.0  0.0   1648   612 ?        Ss   18:32   0:00
> > > /sbin/syslogd
> > > root      3974  0.0  0.0   1728   516 ?        Ss   18:32   0:00
> > > /bin/dd bs 1
> > > if /proc/kmsg of /var/run/klogd/kmsg
> > > klog      3976  0.0  0.1   2428  1312 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:00 /sbin/klogd -P /var/run/klogd/kmsg
> > > cupsys    4098  0.0  0.1   4540  2000 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/cupsd
> > > root      4140  0.0  0.0   4900   924 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/hpiod
> > > hplip     4181  0.0  0.4   9672  4860 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > python /usr/sbin/hpssd
> > > root      4291  0.0  0.2   5580  2272 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/apt-index-watcher watch --syslog
> > > 103       4311  0.0  0.0   2300   896 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:09 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --system
> > > 106       4326  0.0  0.5   7220  5688 ?        Ss   18:32
> > > 0:05 /usr/sbin/hald
> > > root      4327  0.0  0.1   2916  1040 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > hald-runner
> > > 106       4333  0.0  0.0   2024   872 ?        S    18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/lib/hal/hald-addon-acpi
> > > 106       4339  0.0  0.0   2024   844 ?        S    18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/lib/hal/hald-addon-keyboard
> > > 106       4355  0.0  0.0   2028   916 ?        S    18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/lib/hal/hald-addon-storage
> > > root      4372  0.0  0.0   1948   796 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/dhcdbd --system
> > > root      4389  0.0  0.2  20372  2104 ?        Ssl  18:33
> > > 0:01 /usr/sbin/NetworkManager --pid-file
> > > /var/run/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.pid
> > > root      4404  0.0  0.1   2964  1248 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/NetworkManagerDispatcher --pid-file
> > > /var/run/NetworkManager/NetworkManagerDispatcher.pid
> > > root      4447  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:33   0:00
> > > [ondemand]
> > > root      4496  0.0  0.1   4940  1048 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/sshd
> > > root      4578  0.0  0.0   2072   740 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/hcid -x
> > > root      4584  0.0  0.0   1668   496 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/sdpd
> > > root      4596  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:33   0:00
> > > [krfcommd]
> > > daemon    4634  0.0  0.0   1856   428 ?        Ss   18:33   0:00
> > > /usr/sbin/atd
> > > root      4647  0.0  0.0   2192   868 ?        Ss   18:33
> > > 0:00 /usr/sbin/cron
> > > dhcp      4805  0.0  0.0   2392   748 ?        S<s  18:33   0:00
> > > dhclient3 -pf /var/run/dhclient.eth0.pid -lf
> > > /var/lib/dhcp3/dhclient.eth0.leases
> > > eth0
> > > root      5221  0.0  0.1   3460  1396 ?        S    18:53
> > > 0:00 /sbin/wpa_supplicant -dd -g /var/run/wpa_supplicant-global
> > > dhcp      5228  0.0  0.1   2400  1168 ?        S    18:53
> > > 0:00 /sbin/dhclient -1 -lf /var/lib/dhcp3/dhclient.eth1.leases -pf
> > > /var/run/dhclient.eth1.pid -q -e
> > > dhc_dbus=31 -d eth1
> > > root      7806  0.0  0.1   2672  1172 tty1     Ss   21:18   0:00
> > > /bin/login --
> > > 1000      7812  0.7  0.3   5872  3444 tty1     S    21:18   0:00
> > > -bash
> > > 1000      7831  0.0  0.0   2476   988 tty1     R+   21:18   0:00 ps
> > > aux
> > > --------------------- [2] end
> > > --------------------------------------
> > >
> > >
> > > ----------------------[3] -> free -m -----------------------------
> > >              total       used       free     shared    buffers
> > > cached
> > > Mem:          1002        967         34          0         39
> > >   684
> > > -/+ buffers/cache:        244        757
> > > Swap:         2933          0       2933
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > > --------------------- [4] -> ps aux -------------------------------
> > > USER       PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME
> > > COMMAND
> > > root         1  0.0  0.0   1632   612 ?        Ss   18:32   0:01
> > > /sbin/init
> > > splash
> > > root         2  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [migration/0]
> > > root         3  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        SN   18:32   0:00
> > > [ksoftirqd/0]
> > > root         4  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    18:32   0:00
> > > [watchdog/0]
> > > root         5  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S<   18:32   0:00
> > > [events/0]
> >
> > From my observation, Linux keeps filling the memory but will free it
> > up as needed. I run a SPARC U60 with 1.5 GB memory and a U30 with 1
> > GB and no swap on either. The memory is quickly very full. I run for
> > days with no problem. Don't worry about it.
> >
> > Earl
> >
> > URL http://deserthowler.cjb.net
> > Instant messenger: earlcoyote
> > ICQ:64033496
> >
> >
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________________
> >__ _________ We won't tell. Get more on shows you hate to love
> > (and love to hate): Yahoo! TV's Guilty Pleasures list.
> > http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/265


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