Networks

Ask something
Discussion Locked

Windows 2000 Server Maximum RAM

0 helpful
3 replies

by cburnham

Closed to new repliesThis discussion is closed. It stays readable, but it takes no new replies.

I know that Windows 2000 Server can only recognize up to 4 GB of RAM. My Dell PowerEdge server can handle up to 12 GB. Not realizing about the limitation in W2K Server, I upgraded from 2 GB to 6 GB of RAM.

When I run Sandra Pro, it shows that I do have 6 GB of RAM, but of course Windows is only showing 4 GB.

Am I wasting the last 2 GB or is the system still somehow using it?

3 replies

by toughguy000

From my experience windows 2000 will not use more then 4gb of RAM due to the fact that it wasn't designed to. (Back in those days when RAM cost an arm and a leg for 1gb)

by techexec2

.
You might be able to utilize all 6 GB on your server. It depends...

Windows 2000 is a 32-bit OS. All address pointers are 32 bits (max 4 GB virtual address space). But, it is more complicated than that. See (1).

In Windows 2000, 2 GB (or 3 GB if a switch is used) of the address space is reserved for the application to use. The rest is for the system. However, in certain versions of Windows 2000 (Advanced Server, Datacenter Server) the [u]system[/u] can support more [u]physical[/u] memory than 4 GB via Physical Address Extension (PAE) (2). This means that adding more physical memory to such a system will reduce paging to disk as the applications individually access their own 4 GB virtual address spaces that are mapped to physical memory pages.

----------------------------------------

(1) Memory Support and Windows Operating Systems
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/PAEmem.mspx

(2) Operating Systems and PAE Support
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/platform/server/PAE/pae_os.mspx

by cburnham

I am aware that those other versions will utilize the 6 GB. My question was is it wasted in Windows 2000 Server (standard)?

Based on what I have read, I am assuming I am wasting the last 2 GB. I was just wondering if there was any way the system was benefiting from the additional 2GB.

This discussion is closed to new replies.