The use of 4 GB and more on Enterprise Edition on W2k server standard edtion

  • Is there any problem or settings I have to know if I am want to use

    a sql server 2000 Enterprise Edtion on a Windows 2000 Server, Standard Edtion ? The server will have 2 CPU and 4 GB Memory.

    I just heared something about settings like memory extension which has to be defined in the operating system.

    Thanks

    Waff

  • There's nothing that you need to set that will apply to your installation.

     

    Certain switches need to be applied to address higher memory levels, however given that you are running Windows 2000 server these would not have any impact.

     



    Shamless self promotion - read my blog http://sirsql.net

  • Hmm to my knowledge it is neccesary to set the /3GB in boot.ini in order to use memory above 3Gb.

    Search for /3Gb and /PAE

  • check this out: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;274750&sd=tech#4

    It says, in part:

    Windows 2000 Server

    SQL Server 2000

    Normally, both the SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition and SQL Server 2000 Developer Edition can use up to 2 GB of physical memory. With the use of the AWE enable option, SQL Server can use up to 4 GB of physical memory.

    NOTE: You cannot allocate more than 4 GB of physical memory to an application on Windows 2000 Server because Physical Address Extension (PAE) is not available on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. Also, you cannot use the 3 GB switch in the Boot.ini file with Windows 2000 Server; however, you can use the 3 GB switch in the Boot.ini file with Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Microsoft Windows Datacenter versions. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

    291988 A description of the 4 GB RAM Tuning feature and the Physical Address Extension switch

  • According to this link, you also need the Enterprise edition.

     

    http://www.microsoft.com/sql/evaluation/overview/default.asp

     

    Because Stanard only support 2GB RAM. 

  • Yup to use more than 2Gb ram you need advanced server with enterprise sql server.

    [font="Comic Sans MS"]The GrumpyOldDBA[/font]
    www.grumpyolddba.co.uk
    http://sqlblogcasts.com/blogs/grumpyolddba/

  • Hey, Gurus...with the same setup as Chris describes, If I install more than one instance of SQL on the server, would that utilize 2 gigs per instance?

    cl

    Signature is NULL

  • I have now for sure a windows 2000 standard server with Sql Server 2000 Enterprise Edition. So with this, 4 GB should not be a problem. If it occours, I will try the 3 GB switch in the boot.ini

    thanks all for your reply

    chris

  • If I use Sql Server Standard Edition and Windows 2003, what is there the max. of memory I can use ?

    Or Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Sql Server 2000, Standard Edition ?

  • Sql Server 2000 Standard edition is limited to 2Gb Memory on any OS

    Look at  http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/planning/SQLReskChooseEd.asp

  • The /3GB switch is unrelated to the use of memory above 3 GB. The /3GB switch has an effect on how much "memory" in the memory space the operating system will take up and where it'll load drivers, etc. The /3GB switch allows an application to use up to 3 GB of virtual memory space, as opposed to the standard limit of 2 GB.

    If you want to use more than 3 GB, you're going to have to rely on AWE memory, meaning the /PAE switch. There are cases in datacenter server with very large amounts of RAM you don't want to use /3GB because you can't address all of the memory. That should be included in some of the links already referenced here.

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • No, all of the instances would have to share 2GB of memory.

  • This will always be difficult to understand stuff.

    What I know, or think I understand (PLEASE! Correct me if I am wrong)

    In Windows you have 2 types of memory. RAM (the amount of memory that is physical present in the machine) and Virtual Memory (the amount of memory that the OS pretends to give to the application, even the amount of memory in the machine is less than 4Gb, the rest will be swapped)

    Every application in Windows get's 4Gb of Virtual Memory (this is not releted to the total amount of physical RAM in the machine)

    From this 4Gb, 2Gb gets the application, and 2Gb gets the OS

    The /3Gb switch, makes it possible to let the application use 3Gb of the Virtual Memory instead of the above mentioned 2Gb. So there will be 1Gb left of Virtual Memory for the OS.

    So if you have 4 instance on a machine, every instance get's 2Gb of Virtual Memory without the /3Gb switch, and gets 3Gb of Virtual Memory with the /3Gb switch...

    So much for part 1

    Now, if your instance needs to use more than the 4Gb of physical RAM:

    /PAE

    Use this option when you have more than 4Gb of physical RAM

    For letting SQL Server 2000 work with more than 2Gb there is the AWE Enabled switch in SQL Server 2000, so SQL Server can use more memory.

    Are the above correct? And when can/must I use the /3Gb and /PAE switches together or nog? Please fill in the missing parts

  • To my knowledge you miss that above 16Gb of Memory you must use /3gb

    so:

    below 3Gb : nothing

    more than 3Gb : /3gb

    More than 4Gb and less than 16Gb: /3Gb and /PAE

    More than 16Gb: /PAE

    on 32 bits os. These are windows the settings.

    Then there is AWE, but I havent mingled with that on yet.

     

    regards ib

  • As I mentioned above: The /3Gb switch only applies to Virtual Memory, not physical memory. Therefore, it should not be needed to use the /3Gb for >4Gb and <16Gb.

    As far as I can see right now: Use of the /3Gb switch with less than 16Gb is needed when you need more than 2Gb for procedure cache etc.

    But if you can provide me a link from the Microsoft site stating other, of course I stand corrected

    Other usefull link: http://blogs.msdn.com/slavao/archive/2005/1/29.aspx

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 14 (of 14 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply