Subject: Re: proper tuning for restoring from pg_dump in 8.3.7
From: "Joshua D. Drake" <jd@commandprompt.com>
Reply-To: jd@commandprompt.com
To: "Burgholzer, Robert (DEQ)" <Robert.Burgholzer@deq.virginia.gov>
Cc: pgsql-admin@postgresql.org
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Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:17:36 -0700
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On Wed, 2010-07-14 at 13:07 -0400, Burgholzer, Robert (DEQ) wrote:
> That said, the time to restore is explainable, but is there something in
> my tuning that is causing all of my memory to be eaten?

Please don't top post.

> 
> We seem to have some undiagnosed issue whereby opening and closing large
> files on the system leaves a lot in the cache -- I am guessing that this
> is my culprit and NOT my pg tuning?
> 
> Thanks again,
> r.b.

You mention the use of top. Assessing just the the reference to "free"
memory isn't as accurate as you would think. I am going to assume you
are using Linux. Linux will suck all (well not all but close) out of
free and put it into things like buffers until free memory is actually
needed.

For example on my workstation:

Mem:   6126116k total,  5910328k used,   215788k free,   495684k buffers
Swap:  3919352k total,     5792k used,  3913560k free,  3178548k cached

Which means exactly nothing, unless that SWAP number starts churning.

Sincerely,

Joshua D. Drake


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