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SHOW MEMORY units - bytes or blocks

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 12:54 pm
by starlet

Code: Select all

On my[b] OpenVMS V8.4-2L1 Alpha[/b], SHOW MEMORY uses different 
units in the parent process from those in a subprocess. Why?

J9>[u]sho mem /physical    !Uses MB[/u]
System Memory Resources on 2024-02-25 18:41:00
Physical Memory Usage (bytes):     Total        Free      In Use    Modified
  Main Memory             (MB)    512.00      296.31      195.67       20.00
Of the physical memory in use, [b]38.89 MB [/b]are permanently allocated to OpenVMS.

J9>[u]spawn sho mem /physical !Uses pages[/u]
System Memory Resources on 2024-02-25 18:41:12
Physical Memory Usage (pages):     Total        Free      In Use    Modified
  Main Memory (512.00MB)           65536       37826       25154        2556
Of the physical pages in use, [b]4979 pages[/b] are permanently allocated to OpenVMS.

Re: SHOW MEMORY units - bytes or blocks

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 1:34 pm
by reinhardtjh
Because the parent process has /Units=bytes set (in login.com?) and the sub-process does not because the sub-process creation does not run the login.com or the like.

show process /units will show you the setting.

Code: Select all

$ show proce /units

25-FEB-2024 11:40:50.95   User: SYSTEM           Process ID:   00000424
                          Node: ASIMOV           Process name: "SYSTEM"

Soft CPU Affinity: off

Units: Bytes
$

Re: SHOW MEMORY units - bytes or blocks

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:08 pm
by starlet
Thanks, makes sense, I applied this the moment it became a feature!

Being used to bytes, not 512-byte blocks, on other platforms, I welcome this option.
I'm wondering if folks are switching to this common "currency"?

Could there be a global switch (or toggle) across all utilities to just use KBs, MBs, GBs when it
comes to memory, files, quotas and such?
I suppose there many SYSGEN parameters that are better left alone, since managers probably
still think in blocks.

Re: SHOW MEMORY units - bytes or blocks

Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 7:18 pm
by arne_v
starlet wrote:
Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:08 pm
Thanks, makes sense, I applied this the moment it became a feature!

Being used to bytes, not 512-byte blocks, on other platforms, I welcome this option.
I'm wondering if folks are switching to this common "currency"?
I have never used it.

It seems unVMSish to me.

But maybe I am just a bit dinosaurish.