2.4.1 eats RAM or /proc/meminfo bug

From: Ricardo Galli (gallir@uib.es)
Date: Sat Feb 03 2001 - 09:15:38 EST

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    I noticed in my server that the memory consumption with 2.4.1 it much higher
    than 2.2.18 and it gets worse over time.

    Free was reporting up to 140MB of RAM with no user/X session (50-60MB with
    2.2.18, same software). I've upgraded to procps 2.0.7, but the problem
    persists. After few minutes of rebooting the server, the memory usage was
    40-50MB, but after 24 hours the used memory grew to 120MB. I though it could
    be Apache or Postgres servers, so I've stopped them but the memory decreased
    just few megabytes.

    I did then another check, I summed the RSS of all processes (which should
    give more than free) and it is reporting _less_ that free.

    Find the figures and sys info below. Please note that the used memory it's
    about 120MB, with 2.2.x it never passed 60MB with the same conf.

    [root@m3d /root]# uname -a
    Linux m3d.uib.es 2.4.1 #2 Thu Feb 1 12:22:17 MET 2001 i686 unknown

    [root@m3d /root]# free -V
    procps version 2.0.7

    [root@m3d /root]# free
                 total used free shared buffers cached
    Mem: 255340 232444 22896 0 16988 93212
    -/+ buffers/cache: 122244 133096
    Swap: 208804 0 208804

    [root@m3d /root]# cat /proc/meminfo
            total: used: free: shared: buffers: cached:
    Mem: 261468160 238030848 23437312 0 17395712 95453184
    Swap: 213815296 0 213815296
    MemTotal: 255340 kB
    MemFree: 22888 kB
    MemShared: 0 kB
    Buffers: 16988 kB
    Cached: 93216 kB
    Active: 15424 kB
    Inact_dirty: 92172 kB
    Inact_clean: 2608 kB
    Inact_target: 60 kB
    HighTotal: 0 kB
    HighFree: 0 kB
    LowTotal: 255340 kB
    LowFree: 22888 kB
    SwapTotal: 208804 kB
    SwapFree: 208804 kB

    [root@m3d /proc]# modprobe -l
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/net/dummy.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/net/eepro100.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/parport/parport.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/parport/parport_pc.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/ac97_codec.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/ad1848.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/es1370.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/es1371.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/esssolo1.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/maestro.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/mpu401.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/sound.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/soundcore.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/drivers/sound/sscape.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/fs/msdos/msdos.o
    /lib/modules/2.4.1/kernel/fs/vfat/vfat.o

    [root@m3d /root]# ps axlh | awk '{i+=$7; j+=$8}; END{ print i, j }'
    254592 99748

    Note in the last command that the total RSS is lower thet the used memory
    reported by free/meminfo. The machine is a plain PIII with IDE disks adn
    3Com905 etherboard.

    Just tell me if you need for info or reports.

    Regards.

    --ricardo
    http://m3d.uib.es/~gallir/

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