Re: [Xen-users] "dynamic memory allocation" for windows guests?

["Peter Gansterer" <peter.gansterer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi again,

Are there really no hints about this topic?

It would also be useful to definitely know there is no solution for what we are 
looking for - or even input as to why this wouldn't work.
Otherwise we'd think about trying it on our own.

- peda.


On 2013-02-07 18:37:16.481416 Peter Gansterer wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> In our office we would like to do something like "memory overcommitment"
> or rather "dynamic allocation" for a bunch of windows domUs (server 2003 & 
> 2008).
> 
> We thought this should be a simple feature, however we did not find any
> fitting solution.
> We use Xen 4.2.1 with xl toolstack.
> 
> The idea is to use ballooning to dynamically (and automatically) change
> physical memory available to the domUs according to their memory needs.
> There was something called "xenballoond" for linux guests before "tmem"
> was integrated, and this seems to be exactly what we're looking for,
> except that we need it for windows domUs.
> 
> Is there really no such thing for windows guests, or are we just too stupid 
> to find it?
> We would be happy about any hints.
> 
> If there really is none, then, is there a reason for that?
> 
> It seems like a simple thing:
> - start a process on each windows guest to monitor memory usage
> - if there is spare memory -> tell the hypervisor to lower the mem-target
> - if memory is used up, decide upon CPU usage and mem history:
>   . idle for some time -> try to free buffers by allocating and freeing blocks
>   . loaded -> do nothing or increase mem-target, according to pagefile usage
>   . recently increased -> increase mem-target
> - If memory is needed quickly, the pagefile will be used temporarily.
> - In a trivial implementation, a simple script on dom0 could receive
>   the mem-target requests and do the actual "xl mem-set" calls
>   (according to some balancing algorithm).
> 
> Or is this approach just too naive?
> 
> In our scenario (virtual desktops and testservers) there are always idle
> guests wasting memory and not really using it. I suppose there must be a
> way to automatically (if just slowly) shift memory to those in need, and
> thus reducing overall memory requirements.
> 
> yours,
> - peter.
> 
> -- 
> Peter Gansterer
> 
> PARADIGMA Unternehmensberatung GmbH
> MariahilferstraÃe 47/1/3
> A-1060 Wien
> Tel: 0043-(0)1-585 49 72
> http://www.paradigma.net
> 
> Firmenbuchnummer: FN 134564 p
> Rechtsform: GmbH
> Firmenbuchgericht: Handelsgericht Wien

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