Re: postgresql not using enough memory?

From: Christopher Browne <cbbrowne(at)acm(dot)org>
To: pgsql-admin(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: postgresql not using enough memory?
Date: 2004-05-19 22:21:00
Message-ID: m3hduchxdf.fsf@wolfe.cbbrowne.com
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Oops! admin(at)usachurch(dot)com was seen spray-painting on a wall:
> Hello list,
>
> I know this is a complicated issue, but I'll throw it out there...
> Our DB box has 3GB of ram - which is supposed to be used by
> postgres. Whenever I use top, it only shows about 800MB being
> used with 2.2GB free. What can I do to tell postgres to use more
> of that memory - maybe 2GB ?

The one change that might be appropriate would be to bump up sort
memory. Not too much; 40MB is a terrifically large amount unless
you're doing REALLY enormous sorts.

Aside from that, it is quite likely that everything is AOK.
PostgreSQL benefits from having data in the filesystem cache, and if
you up the shared buffer cache, you risk having the commonly-used data
stored twice, once in the buffer cache, and once in the filesystem
cache, which is wasteful.
--
output = ("cbbrowne" "@" "ntlug.org")
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