Chapter 7. File Cache Performance and Tuning
The built-in Windows 2000 file cache is essential to the performance
of Windows 2000 file servers. It is also an important factor in the
performance of Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS) as well as
many
other
applications. The file cache is a specific, reserved area of virtual
storage in the range of system memory addresses, as discussed in
Chapter 6. As the name implies, it operates on
files, or, more specifically, sections of files. When file sections
are referenced, they are mapped into this area
of virtual memory by the Cache Manager. This mapping occurs
transparently to the application that is trying to read or write the
file in question. (The everyday meaning of the word
cache refers to it being a hidden storehouse.
Caching functions are hidden from the applications.) The memory used
for the file cache is managed just like any other area of real memory
allocated within the system working set, subject to the same Windows
2000 virtual memory management page replacement policy discussed in
the previous chapter. Frequently referenced files tend to remain in
cache memory automatically, so no external tuning parameters need to
be set to initiate caching under Windows 2000 on either Professional
and Server.
The idea behind memory-resident file cache is to speed up access to data that is otherwise stored permanently on disk. Access to any file segments that are resident in memory is much, much faster than having to retrieve ...
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