Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!lll-crg!lll-lcc!unisoft!mtxinu!rtech!daveb
From: daveb@rtech.UUCP (Dave Brower)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: RAM disk vs paging + buffer cache
Message-ID: <388@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Aug-86 01:47:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.388
Posted: Tue Aug 12 01:47:45 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 12-Aug-86 23:17:36 EDT
References: <514@opus.nbires.UUCP>
Reply-To: daveb@rtech.UUCP (Dave Brower)
Organization: Relational Technology Inc, Alameda CA
Lines: 22
Summary: Good for /tmp and paging, could be real cheap.

In article <514@opus.nbires.UUCP> rcd@nbires.UUCP (Dick Dunn) writes:
>
>What generally-useful features does a RAM disk have that I didn't
>consider?
>
>Comments, please.
>--
>Dick Dunn

Yup, lots of real memory is the way to go.  Witness the 128M Convex C-1.
Unfortunately, it's kind of steep:  I still hear 4k/M quotes on system
main memory :-(.  It's conceivable to build a BIIG ram disk for cheap,
and be nearly vendor indepandant.

Imagine a 160M Eagle plug compatible ram disk with 'horribly' slow 450us
dynamic RAM used as the paging area, /tmp, and /usr/tmp.  That helps you
right where some of the biggest bottlenecks are located.

-dB

-- 
{amdahl, sun, mtxinu, cbosgd}!rtech!daveb