Re: memory useage of X

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Lionel,

  It is true that Linux (and most Unix) follow a "full" memory model.
Which means all memory is used for either user programs/libraries or
disk cache.

  But I -think- the problem here is that X also uses video memory. And
this extra memory is often reported alongside regular memory,
especially in programs such as top:

	   Virtual     Resource     Share
X:	   77852        1168         1000
xfs-xtt:   15500         160	      160
prime-net: 10580       10240	    10240

  The first column is -all- memory, main or otherwise.  The second is
total real (i.e. main) memory.  The last is memory used from the
executable residing in memory; that is both a copy of the executable
and also its libraries.

  At least, these interpetations are the best I can manage -- but I'm
sure I'm wrong:

  The last example was prime-net, which is small code but allocates
alot to solve a long math problem.  So share should not be 10240, but
closer to 240.  But xfs-xtt at least makes sense since it should use
mostly video memory to store it's font's.

  If you are wondering why my X is so small it is because I am only
running one xterm and a minimal window manager.  If, for example I
load mozilla, my memory jumps up to Res:3096.

  One last note, I -am- certain about this:  Virt >= Res >= Share and
that most of the time Virt ~= Res ~= Share, that is they are, for the
most of time, very close.

Hope that helps,
  Gryn

On Sun, Nov 03, 2002 at 11:51:40PM -0800, Lionel Lecoq wrote:
> See the archives of this list:It seems that linux resp. X uses ALL memory available in order to
> optimise resource utilisation (the idea being that available RAM should not remain unused)
> At least this is what I have understood, anyone knowing better correct me...
> Lionel
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