Memory issue...

[Oaktech]

I've got a 2008R2 physical box running HyperV, with a 2012r2 server core DC and a 2012r2 RDS server. It was previously also running a 2008r2 RDS server although in the last week that has been decommisioned.

 

The DC has 2048mb memory assigned to it and sits mainly at around 900mb usage but occasionally it runs almost all the way to 2048 - mainly during windows updates - but it returns to around the 900-1024 mark. The 2012r2 RDS server was assigned 4096 and used all of it.

 

When the 2008r2 RDS box was in use for internal thin clients it was assigned 10gb of ram and even with 30 machines connected to it it rarely peaked over 8gb, although the processor maxed out occasionally. I've decommissioned the 2008r2 box because we no longer have enough thin clients to warrant the extra server licence and CALs and reassigned the memory to the 2012r2 box.

 

I did the work last week and I've just checked it this morning and the HyperV manager says the machine has 10240mb assigned to it and is demanding 12902 and is warning on memory usage. The taskmgr on the box itself says 10gb is available and 3.3gb is in use. The box is essentially idle - 1%-3% CPU no users connected except my session, 0-5% network.

 

Can some people who know more about HyperV tell me what the hell is going on? I never had these problems with ESXi!

Edited October 19, 2015 by Oaktech

[Steve21]

Take it you don't have some kind of SQL/program that uses it on there?

 

The 12902 sounds like your 10GB + 25% memory buffer (by default it'll increase memory to keep it at a certain level depending what you set on the machine)

 

But obviously shouldn't be doing that unless RAM is actually being used by something local on the server

 

Steve

[Oaktech]

Take it you don't have some kind of SQL/program that uses it on there?

 

The 12902 sounds like your 10GB + 25% memory buffer (by default it'll increase memory to keep it at a certain level depending what you set on the machine)

 

But obviously shouldn't be doing that unless RAM is actually being used by something local on the server

 

Steve

 

There is an SQL express instance on the machine, but the machine itself says that it is nowhere near using the assigned memory and that the SQL instance is using less than 100mb.

[Steve21]

SQL lies a lot

 

It only shows what its actually using "not" what it caches (as much memory as it can normally)

 

Personally, if it's "nothing important" I'd disable the SQL server, reboot and give it a few days to test it as might be barking up wrong tree if it is SQL being an ass

 

Steve

[bald_pig]

Are you looking using task manager or resource manager? Task manager lies, resource manager shows any reserved RAM even if a process isn't using it, could be that SQL has claimed the 10Gb for itself!

[Oaktech]

SQL lies a lot

 

It only shows what its actually using "not" what it caches (as much memory as it can normally)

 

Personally, if it's "nothing important" I'd disable the SQL server, reboot and give it a few days to test it as might be barking up wrong tree if it is SQL being an ass

 

Steve

 

Right, it'll have to stay as it is until Christmas then as the thing the SQL instance serves is the logging for a dashboard app supplied by a third party. That dashboard app expires in december and isn't being renewed (the staff hate it, and it is stupid expensive) so we'll see what it looks like then.

 

Thanks for your help!

[Steve21]

Could always change the SQL memory cap within SQL server, easy to test then, and it wouldn't cause any issues as it shouldn't be using stupid amounts anyway

 

Default max: 2147483647MB

 

Steve

[Oaktech]

Are you looking using task manager or resource manager? Task manager lies, resource manager shows any reserved RAM even if a process isn't using it, could be that SQL has claimed the 10Gb for itself!

 

Interesting... I've just had a shufty in resource monitor (thanks for that @bald_pig) - the thing that appears to have committed all the RAM is spoolsvc it is saying 9,161,724mb commited and 9,101,972 working set. the private figure of 27,440 ties up with what taskmgr spoolsv.exe says it is using.

 

Greedy Spooler! Any ideas?

[Steve21]

You got Print Driver Isolation on if you're allowing printing? (Do you specifically need printing support?)

 

Steve

[Oaktech]

You got Print Driver Isolation on if you're allowing printing? (Do you specifically need printing support?)

 

Steve

 

Yeah, printing needs to happen. This is the server staff connect to from home and the way they seem to work is to spend all of Sunday afternoon printing stuff, then come in Monday morning and release it all from papercut!

 

Print isolation is currently set to defaults - so, in the GPO for the machine it is not disabled and nothing is set to override that.