[X4U] how to view "pageouts?"

[Ed Gould]

On Jun 18, 2008, at 12:22 AM, David Ledger wrote:

>> From: zapcat <zapcat at speakeasy.net>
>> anyone familiar with pageouts (with respect to RAM...not enough
>> RAM...etc)
>>
>> can pageout activity be useful as a diagnostic tool, to help gauge
>> performance and load on a Mac, or does it basically just remind me  
>> that
>> the machine doesn't have enough RAM?
>
> Every pageout indicates that a process needs memory that isn't  
> available. To get it that memory the system has to page out some  
> other process's memory page. If it happens a lot you're short of RAM.
>
> It doesn't gauge performance, it's a cause of poor performance. All  
> it tells you about load is that you're asking your system to do  
> more than you have the RAM for.
>
> David
> David:

Yes/no (agree and  disagree) Pageouts do *NOT* necessarily mean you  
are out of it (or not enough). There are other reasons not just short  
that can cause a page out (at least on systems I am aware of).  
Depending on the sophistication of the OS there are other reasons for  
page outs. Its hard to say with MAC os as very little is externalized  
(documented).

Ed