Increase the allocation for disk write cache memory.
Increase the allocation for disk write cache memory.
Is there any way to allocate more RAM to disk write cache in Windows (like through the registry or something) and, if not, is there a software that can do this that you'd recommend? My Proliant fileserver currently has 2GB of RAM, I've never seen it use more than 800MB of that. Windows + my drive monitoring softwares use about 600MB, when receiving files over the network it'll cache around 200MB but the rest of the memory goes wasted. Would be great if there's a way to put all of the RAM to use soaking up incoming writes. Should add it's running Windows 7 x86.
Don't have a fix for Windows. I understand Linux can handle more RAM for writing caches. It's quite risky because external devices might assume writing is done, but it could take many seconds before the disk actually writes, during which power issues or other problems might cause major data loss. Consider using a UPS. It's not identical, but Device Manager has an option to disable write flushing, which might slightly boost write performance. Same potential risks involved.
The idle RAM is quietly used by the operating system to store files that are accessed frequently, such as DLLs, etc. When applications require memory, the OS removes the data from RAM and later restores it from the page file (if available) or reads it back from the disk. Your SATA controller driver will store some writes together into larger requests before sending them to the SSD or hard drive. I still need to ask—why does a network card with only 1 Gbps (125 MB/s) cause the OS to delay writing to the SSD when the drive can handle it? It seems the main problem is your server has just 2 GB of RAM. You should ideally use dual or quad-channel memory depending on the CPU, and at least two sticks would be better... with only one GB sticks, the available bandwidth from your RAM will likely be very limited.
Windows already utilizes RAM to boost performance. With only 2 GB available, not fully using all RAM shouldn’t be a major issue. My assumption was you’d expect more from a system with 128 GB. The real challenge lies in the speed of writing data; even if the source drive halts early, it still limits progress. With just 2 GB of RAM, any advantage is minimal. It’s ironic that many face the opposite—thinking fetching is too slow—and then blaming Windows for being inefficient.
SSDs aren't the best choice here. My main RAID setup on an HP HBA works well with gigabit Ethernet, but some backup drives are 5400 RPM SMR laptops running at software mirrored arrays, which limits their write speeds compared to the network. I'm using 2x1GB memory sticks at 800MHz and the northbridge supports dual channels. Installing the full 4GB would be wasteful if it's only using about a gigabyte.