sql server memory usage - does it ever use page file?

  • Lets say my physical box has 64 gb RAM and out of that 52 gb is assigned to sql server. All this time i was thinking that if at any point sql needs more than 52 gb it would use page file. Someone told me that if sql needs more than 52gb it would just remove existing pages from RAM and would NEVER use page file. Is that true?

  • "All this time i was thinking that if at any point sql needs more than 52 gb it would use page file".

    Yes, SQL Server will "page out" some of the pages from RAM to Page file for some reasons. But you should worry when its because of RAM memory shortage.

  • sqldba_newbie (11/26/2012)


    All this time i was thinking that if at any point sql needs more than 52 gb it would use page file.

    No. By setting max server memory to 52 GB, you've hard-set the max size of the buffer pool at 52 GB. If SQL needs the buffer pool to be bigger than that, too bad, it can't get bigger. If more memory is required then existing pages in the buffer pool will have to be discarded and then the new memory brought in.

    SQL can and does use a little memory over and above the buffer pool, so over that 52 GB. This is still in memory and usually is not much.

    Someone told me that if sql needs more than 52gb it would just remove existing pages from RAM and would NEVER use page file.

    SQL cannot choose to use the page file, that's an OS choice. If SQL is using 52 GB of memory and the OS comes under memory pressure then, assuming that locked pages in memory is not set, the OS will first request that SQL trim it's memory usage down (reducing the buffer pool to under 52 GB). If it does not do so fast enough, then the OS will move some of that 52 GB out of memory and into the page file. This is not a good thing, page file is disk hence way slower than memory

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

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