Atlanta .NET Regular Guys : AWE Memory

AWE Memory

I just learned about something new. Way back in the Windows NT 4.0 days, I learned that Windows allowed software to use up to 2 Gb of memory. The boxes could actually hold up to 4 Gb, but the memory was usually split 2 for the app, 2 for the OS. Since then, 32 Windows versions have dramatically increased the addressable amounts of memory (my notable interactions have always been on gigantic SQL Server boxes with gigs and gigs of memory). How does this work? AWE Memory!

AWE stands for the Address Windowing Extenstion and is an API which allows applications to use physical memory beyond the 32 bit virtual address space. This allows x86 processor based machines to see up to 64 Gb of memory.

Learn more here.

Published 22-08-2006 01:23 by Matt Ranlett
Filed Under: Microsoft Products, Technical

Comment Notification

If you would like to receive an email when updates are made to this post, please register here

Subscribe to this post's comments using RSS

Comments

Matt Ranlett said:

By the way - I knew about the memory limits and their recent increases, I just didn't know the mechanism for that increase was this AWE memory API.

August 23, 2006 10:20 AM

What do you think?

Name (required)
Your URL (optional)
Comments (required)
Remember Me?

About Matt Ranlett

One of the two original Atlanta .NET Regular Guys, Matt fills his free time by helping to run several Atlanta area user groups, the Atlanta Code Camps, and works as one of the two INETA co-Vice Presidents of Technology