G4 Memory & FileMaker Server 5.0

[jcohen]

Would the speed of FileMaker Server 5.0 increase if we were to add 512 MB of memory to our dedicated G4 FileMaker Server?

FileMaker Server 5.0 is the only program running and is the foreground application. We currently have 256 MB memory in our G4. Mac OS takes about 45 MB of memory to run and FileMaker Server 5.0 is using about 45 MB of memory. This G4 is dedicated to running only FileMaker Server 5.0.

[Kurt Knippel]

Simply adding more RAM will likely make some minor inprovements, but I'd bet that you'll never notice.

However if you add that RAM, then setup a RAM disk and run FMP Server in that, you'll see a HUGE increase in performance.

We have 5 FMP servers running with this configuration and the speed and stability is FANTASTIC.

[LiveOak]

Yes, RAM will help, but maybe not in the way you think. The hot ticket for FM Server speed improvement is to use a RAM disk and an application that will allow you to allocate processor time without depending on whether the FM Server app is in the foreground or background. The two applications to use are RAMBunctious and Peek-a-Boo, both from Clarkwood Software (www.clarkwoodsoftware.com). Since RAM disk is about 1,000,000 faster than a hard drive, the improvement is fairly dramatic.

The caveats to the use of RAM disk are to 1) make sure to setup RAMBunctious to do write thru's every say 10 minutes and 2) use a UPS. We have over 4 server years experience with this configuration and FM Server 5.0 and it seems to actually improve stablity. We are actually using four G4 Cubes as servers.

-bd

[jcohen]

Thank you so much!!!

I will talk to our IT people and post the results.

[chattavegas]

Kurt, you wrote, "....setup a RAM disk and run FMP Server in that, you'll see a HUGE increase in performance. We have 5 FMP servers running with this configuration and the speed and stability is FANTASTIC."

I've never set up a RAM disk much less run an application off it. Can you tell me how to go about something like that. I can set up the RAM disk from the memory control panel and I see it on the desktop when I reboot, but what do I do from there?

I'm using MacOS 9.1.

Thanks,

Scott

[LiveOak]

Read up two posts, I describe how. Oh, and I wouldn't use OS 9.1 unless your machine demands it.

-bd

[Arin]

quote:

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However if you add that RAM, then setup a RAM disk and run FMP Server in that, you'll see a HUGE increase in performance.

---

Is it necessary/wise to have both your FMP App, and all Databases on the Ram Disk, or just the App?

And liveoak what's the bad news with 9.1? I've been running FMP Unlim (connected to WSC/Apache on OS X Server v1.2) on 9.1 for about 6 months with no trouble, is it a Rambunctious problem, a FMP Server problem, or just 9.1 in general?

[Kurt Knippel]

We put the app and all of its data into the RAM disk. That way it never has to touch the harddisk.

[Arin]

cool, you just have to try to est. how much the DB's will grow huh?

Thanks,

-A

[LiveOak]

If you have databases with pictures or such, you can blow over a lot of storage. Otherwise, 512MB to 1GB of RAM goes a long way.

New OS's tend to add things that make server configuration harder and less stable. In 9.0.4, it was keychain. We could mount backup volumes fine in 8.6. In 9.0.4, we had to use and AppleScript to get around the stupid keychain dialog boxes. I don't know why Apple refuses to have an install option for servers without all the useless multiuser stuff, etc. The other problem is that the UPS interface software we are using hasn't been updated and is less and less compatible as you go from 8.1 to 8.6 to 9.0.4 to 9.1.

-bd