64 bit sql & 20G: should i use AWE settings on server memory setti

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Gene. - 16 Jul 2008 17:08 GMT

Hi All
I would like to confirm with you guys: If i have 64 bit sql server with 20G
of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
properties'-->'memory' window?

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Linchi Shea - 16 Jul 2008 19:26 GMT

If the OS is 64 bit, I would not automatically enable AWE, though generally
it doesn't do any harm. I did run into a case where you may want to enable
it. The case was that there was a different program running on the box, and
the program was behaving badly in grabbing a huge amount of memory, and it
was forcing the SQL process to page much of its original working set out.

Linchi

> Hi All
> I would like to confirm with you guys: If i have 64 bit sql server with 20G
> of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
> properties'-->'memory' window?

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Linchi Shea - 16 Jul 2008 20:52 GMT

Oops! I meant to say 'Lock page in memory' instead of AWE. -- Linchi

> If the OS is 64 bit, I would not automatically enable AWE, though generally
> it doesn't do any harm. I did run into a case where you may want to enable
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> > of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
> > properties'-->'memory' window?

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Denny Cherry - 17 Jul 2008 02:03 GMT

If you have enterprise, and have enough RAM that you don't need to
swap to page file, then yes. If you don't have enterprise edition
don't bother as on Enterprise Edition will support that setting.

Denny

>Oops! I meant to say 'Lock page in memory' instead of AWE. -- Linchi
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>> > of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
>> > properties'-->'memory' window?

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Denny Cherry - 16 Jul 2008 19:29 GMT

No. The 64bit edition of SQL Server does not support AWE. It isn't
required on 64bit systems.

Denny

>Hi All
>I would like to confirm with you guys: If i have 64 bit sql server with 20G
>of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
>properties'-->'memory' window?

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Andrew J. Kelly - 16 Jul 2008 19:32 GMT

No, AWE is not needed for 64 bit. But you should set the account that sql
server is running under to have Lock Pages In Memory rights and set a MAX
Memory setting to leave a few GB's for the OS and anything else that may
need it.

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Andrew J. Kelly SQL MVP
Solid Quality Mentors

> Hi All
> I would like to confirm with you guys: If i have 64 bit sql server with
> 20G
> of memory, should I mark 'Use AWE to allocate memory' on 'server
> properties'-->'memory' window?

Reply to this Message