Re: BUFFERS setting

Steve Romankiw wrote: > For a UNIX server that is a dedicated database server, if you have the > BUFFERS setting too high, is that a bad thing? > Well, it is if you cause something else on your server to suffer. Memory is a finite resource shared between processes. Using too much for your shared memory pool might cause your server to page or, in extremis, to swap. Use of sar or vmstat will allow you to check page scan and swap rates. Tuning BUFFERS is a pretty inexact science in my experience. Start by setting it to the Informix-recommended level of about 25% of your physical memory (I guess this applies when the UNIX box houses a single database server), and monitor the % read and write rates over a decent period (say a week). Gradually decrease them until you notice your rates suffereing. Neil Truby Chase Manhattan Bank Nournemouth, UK neil.truby@chase.com