Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 2-3.
SQL Server memory configuration
The dynamic memory range is controlled through two configuration properties: Minimum(MB) and Maximum(MB).
•
Minimum(MB), also known as min server memory, works as a floor value for the memory pool.
Once the memory pool reaches the same size as the floor value, SQL Server can continue
committing pages in the memory pool, but it can't be shrunk to less than the floor value. Note
that SQL Server does not start with the min server memory configuration value but commits
memory dynamically, as needed.
•
Maximum(MB), also known as max server memory, serves as a ceiling value to limit the
maximum growth of the memory pool. These configuration settings take effect immediately
and do not require a restart. In SQL Server 2014 the lowest maximum memory is 64MB for a
32-bit system and 128MB for a 64-bit system.
Microsoft recommends that you use dynamic memory configuration for SQL Server, where min server memory is 0
and max server memory is set to allow some memory for the operating system, assuming a single instance on the machine.
The amount of memory for the operating system depends on the system itself. For most systems with 8 GB -16GB
of memory, you should leave about 2GB - 4GB for the OS. As the amount of memory in your server increases, you'll need
to allocate more memory for the OS. A common recommendation is 4GB for every 16GB beyond 32GB of total system
memory. You'll need to adjust this depending on your own system's needs and memory allocations. You should not run
other memory-intensive applications on the same server as SQL Server, but if you must, I recommend you first get estimates
on how much memory is needed by other applications and then configure SQL Server with a max server memory value
