up vote 0 down vote favorite
share [g+] share [fb]

I have a Windows Server 2008 webserver with two web applications and two windows services. It is essential that the server never uses more than 2 GB of memory and the server can have no pagefile. What is the best approach to accomplish this?

I am considering writing an extra Windows Service to monitor the other processes and restart the two w3wp.exe processes and the two Windows services whenever needed. However, I am hoping for a better and more robust solution.

I know I can limit the w3wp.exe processes by recycling the application pools based on memory consumption, but that doesn't solve the problem entirely because the two windows services could spend all memory on their own. I've already tried limiting them each to 300 MB but they still occasionally exceed 2 GB RAM usage.

Rewriting the applications involved are not options.

link|improve this question
1  
What is the problem you are trying to solve by limiting the memory? – Mircea Vutcovici Dec 8 '11 at 18:14
1  
The server IS limited to using 2 GB of memory and there CANNOT by definition be any pagefile, because that's just how Hosteurope works. When it runs out of memory, the application pools crash and I get 503 error. – Niels Brinch Dec 15 '11 at 19:46
feedback

1 Answer

up vote 0 down vote

I think you are not solving the problem in the proper way. Limiting the memory for an application that was not written by you could make it unstable.

link|improve this answer
removing the pagefile will definitely make the server perform worse. – Top__Hat Dec 8 '11 at 18:31
I know that both the web applications and the windows services have no problem being restarted once in a while. – Niels Brinch Dec 15 '11 at 19:47
Top_Hat, there is no pagefile and there cannot be any, that's just an annoying fact on the environment I'm working on. – Niels Brinch Dec 15 '11 at 19:48
feedback

Your Answer

 
or
required, but never shown
discard

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.