Build an erlang computer (was:Computers are fast)

[Scott Lystig Fritchie]

>>>>> "vd" == Vlad Dumitrescu XX \(LN/EAB\) <Vlad> writes:

vd> There usually is a mem=XXXM boot parameter for the kernel. I
vd> don't know if it works to restrict it, or is it just for cases
vd> where the default doen't recognize all installed memory.

If your machine has more RAM than XXX megabytes, then that extra RAM
will not be used.

Beware using that kernel option: accidentally using "K" rather than
"M" can have bad effects on machines that are further away than arm's
reach.  (Not that I would *ever* do such a thing to a machine 2700
kilometers away, obviously.  :-)

Another way to do it is the mlock() system call.  That will pin the
contents of VM pages into RAM.  I've had problems mlock()ing more than
1.3GB of RAM at one time on a Red Hat AS2.1 machine, even if I only do
it 100MB at a time.  I dunno if later kernels avoid that problem.

-Scott