Guys, I have simple question how much Pages file should I keep if I have a server with 96GB for ph RAM? I am gona use it for Exchange 2010 server. pease advice OS-->Windows 2k8 R2 SP1

That depends on how much of the 96GB you are going to be using. If you have enough physical RAM headroom, then your paging file can be small, say 4GB. However, if you are at any time going to be using the full 96GB, (say, with multiple VM's) then a larger paging file would be needed. I would start by letting Windows manage the paging file, and note the PF usage using Task Manager or Performance Counters. Then adjust according to your real-world memory load. If you found this post helpful, please give it a "Helpful" vote. If it answered your question, remember to mark it as an "Answer".

you should start reading this http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889654http://www.virmansec.com/blogs/skhairuddin

I quote from that article: "There is no specific recommendation for page file size. Your requirements will be based on the hardware and software that you use and the load that you put on the computer. To monitor page file usage and requirements, run System Monitor, and gather a log during typical usage conditions."If you found this post helpful, please give it a "Helpful" vote. If it answered your question, remember to mark it as an "Answer".

Hi, It’s hard to say whether your page file is appropriate, the answer will be different if you run different applications. Generally speaking, we set the appropriate page file size based on real workload, for more information, you can refer to: How to determine the appropriate page file size on my server http://blogs.technet.com/mghazai/archive/2008/09/29/how-to-determine-the-appropriate-page-file-size-on-my-server.aspx RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2267427 How to determine the appropriate page file size for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2008 and or Windows 2008 R2 http://www.ervik.as/index.php/microsoft-mainmenu/windows-server-2008-r2/3213-how-to-determine-the-appropriate-page-file-size-for-64-bit-versions-of-windows-server-2008-and-or-windows-2008-r2 Important Note: This response contains a reference to a third party World Wide Web site. Microsoft is providing this information as a convenience to you. Microsoft does not control these sites and has not tested any software or information found on these sites; therefore, Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. There are inherent dangers in the use of any software found on the Internet, and Microsoft cautions you to make sure that you completely understand the risk before retrieving any software from the Internet. Best Regards, Vincent Hu

Make sure your running 64 bit 2008 for starters, I would suggest that in an exchange 2010 server that you allocate seperate physical disk space for the page file. for example: C:\ OS D:\ Application installation (Exchange 2010_ E:\ pagefile (and a nice place to download static files like patches, just nothing "active") F:\ DAGS (hopefully on some sort of storage array)-- :P Advice offered, If you need more help it is advised to seek the council and advice of paid professionals. The answer is always 42, or reboot.

This microsoft KB http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889654 says "When lots of memory is added to a computer, a paging file may not be required." Which leads to some interesting questions about what is lots of memory, and do you really need pagefiles more than 4-8GB (insert your our sizing beliefs). In my experience swapping large amounts of memory to disk, indicates memory pressure and slows down the performance such that i should add more memory anyway, to prevent that swaping, so what's the point of having a 48GB pagefile if i have 48GB of RAM for example. Ultimately, properly sizing a page file for a heavy used server requires some testing and research, so these thoughts are sort of self contridictory. Lots of memory and heavy use should go hand and hand, so a large pagefile could help or hurt depending on your performance needs...crazy. If you want a full memory dump, the pagefile must = the RAM. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/254649 As far as pagefile placement, typically placing on a RAID controller with lots of cache, and at the beginning of the drive (ie: first partition / first file you allow the system to create) will help with access times when the page file is in use. The size of the page file may really isn't a best practice but is more of a performance requirement, usually requiring a happy medium.

I think everyone is basically saying the same thing. I'd like to summarize my viewpoints on paging file with a "lot" of RAM. (I think 96GB is a lot!) 1. Some applications (I am led to believe) expect a paging file on drive C:. 2. Memory dumps require a page file, but not neccessrily on drive C:, as of Windows 7 and WS2008R2 3. Most modern servers use RAID arrays, which abstract the physical disks from the drive volumes. Therefore there is no advantage to putting the paging file on a different volume, if that volume is part of the same RAID array. 4. The required size of the paging file depends entirely on the memory load vs. physical memory. This is only possible to determine in a real-world situation (or a simulation of real-world loads). The way the paging file is being used on a particular server can be gauged by the performance counters as described in the article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/889654 If you found this post helpful, please give it a "Helpful" vote. If it answered your question, remember to mark it as an "Answer".