X-Original-To: pgsql-hackers-postgresql.org@localhost.postgresql.org Received: from localhost (av.hub.org [200.46.204.144]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8550BD95C8; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 14:45:41 -0300 (ADT) Received: from svr1.postgresql.org ([200.46.204.71]) by localhost (av.hub.org [200.46.204.144]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id 87435-08; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 17:45:38 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp1.freeserve.com (smtp1.wanadoo.co.uk [193.252.22.158]) by svr1.postgresql.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 606B0D95C2; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 14:45:37 -0300 (ADT) Received: from me-wanadoo.net (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mwinf3009.me.freeserve.com (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id F2F301C0008E; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 19:45:36 +0200 (CEST) Received: from 192.168.0.102 (modem-2295.lion.dialup.pol.co.uk [217.135.168.247]) by mwinf3009.me.freeserve.com (SMTP Server) with ESMTP id 7E3731C00085; Sun, 25 Sep 2005 19:45:36 +0200 (CEST) X-ME-UUID: 20050925174536517.7E3731C00085@mwinf3009.me.freeserve.com Subject: Re: [PERFORM] Releasing memory during External sorting? From: Simon Riggs To: Ron Peacetree Cc: pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org, pgsql-performance@postgresql.org In-Reply-To: <2559192.1127494115558.JavaMail.root@elwamui-huard.atl.sa.earthlink.net> References: <2559192.1127494115558.JavaMail.root@elwamui-huard.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Content-Type: text/plain Organization: 2nd Quadrant Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 18:45:30 +0100 Message-Id: <1127670330.19345.84.camel@localhost.localdomain> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.0.2 (2.0.2-3) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Virus-Scanned: by amavisd-new at hub.org X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.052 required=5 tests=[AWL=0.002, FORGED_RCVD_HELO=0.05] X-Spam-Level: X-Archive-Number: 200509/1100 X-Sequence-Number: 73497 On Fri, 2005-09-23 at 12:48 -0400, Ron Peacetree wrote: > > I have some indications from private tests that very high memory settings > >may actually hinder performance of the sorts, though I cannot explain that > >and wonder whether it is the performance tests themselves that have issues. > > > Hmmm. Are you talking about amounts so high that you are throwing the OS > into paging and swapping thrash behavior? If not, then the above is weird. Thanks for your thoughts. I'll retest, on the assumption that there is a benefit, but there's something wrong with my earlier tests. Best Regards, Simon Riggs