A/UX: Monitoring Memory Use (8/94)


How can I see the MEMORY usage that is being given to UNIX background tasks, UNIX command shell tasks, the Macintosh Finder shell, and the Macintosh applications running within it?

I am trying to find the optimum amount of RAM to reduce the amount of paging and swapping.

For example, when configuring a system for 16MB of virtual memory, with 8MB of physical RAM, it is difficult to predict when swapping occurs. Running SoftPC in these conditions sometimes brings the machine to a halt because the Finder seems to be "swapped out".

Currently, we don't know of any particular memory monitoring program for A/UX. However, in a CommandShell window the "pstat -m; sleep 5" in a "do while loop" may constantly report the current available memory.

From the Finder desktop, the "About This Macintosh..." DA from Apple Menu will display memory allocation information for all Finder Desktop programs including CommandShell.

To monitor the memory use for each component--like UNIX tasks, CommandShell, Macintosh applications, and so on under A/UX--you need a program that understands the A/UX kernel memory management, that can support simultaneous access by both 24- and 32-bit applications, and is compatible with the existing Macintosh OS Memory Manager. Such a program probably needs to hack /dev/kmem, /mac/bin/{mac24, mac32}, /mac/bin/startmac, and so on.


Article Change History:
24 Aug 1994 - Reviewed and updated.

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Published Date: Feb 18, 2012