Massive memory leak in 3106

[rhind]

I tried the suggested fix bit the memory still keeps leaking. It is leaking at the rate of 5 MB of real memory per second while XP is running.

Pausing XP causes the memory leak to stop. And after resuming from pause, the leak slowed to about .4 MB per second, but after about a minute it picked up speed to about 5 MB per second again.

That seems huge. I'd guess that isn't the live screenshot. I was experiencing the screenshot issue but only saw the memory leak at about 0.1MB/s and that has stopped when i switched it off.

How much memory have you let it get to? My VM is allocated 768MB RAM and 16MB VRAM, and Parallels will typically use 850MB Real memory when its been running for a while which seems reasonable. It doesn't seem to increase over this limit.

How much above the assigned RAM limit does yours get?

Cheers

Russell

 

[nevrozel]

I've been using Paralells for the last 3 hours and the memory used stopped at ~530MB. What I wonder is how is it possible to use 530MB when I only assigned Parallels 512MB?! So one thing is clear here: when we open XP there is some RAM occupied but after some time the full assigned RAM is taken even if we don't do hard stuff in XP.

Strange.

 

[rhind]

I've been using Paralells for the last 3 hours and the memory used stopped at ~530MB. What I wonder is how is it possible to use 530MB when I only assigned Parallels 512MB?! So one thing is clear here: when we open XP there is some RAM occupied but after some time the full assigned RAM is taken even if we don't do hard stuff in XP.

Strange.

You assign 512MB, you also assign possibly 16MB VRAM and Parallels application needs some memory itself. It can use ~50MB itself so 512+16+50=578MB so until your memory starts to get over 600MB I wouldn't assume there was a memory leak.

My VM has 768MB + 16MB VRAM + 50MB for Parallels so I can get it up to 850MB memory usage but it hasn't gone over that yet. If it gets to 900MB then I'll start worrying again.

Cheers

Russell

 

[nevrozel]

Thanks for the clarifications.
Still, is it normal for it to take the entire assigned memory even if i just use let's say 2 programs? (Adobe Reader and Firefox for ex)

 

[rhind]

Thanks for the clarifications.
Still, is it normal for it to take the entire assigned memory even if i just use let's say 2 programs? (Adobe Reader and Firefox for ex)

Thats up to how Parallels have implemented VM I guess. They could conceivably grab all RAM you have assigned at startup rather than just that required. Mine uses a lot more RAM during VM startup (windows is loading a lot of stuff) than after resuming from a suspend (I guess a lot of stuff is sitting idle at that point in the swap file possibly so doesn't need actual RAM) but mine is typically 500-600 so I guess there is a sort of minimum for Parallels to use with XP. XP always ran better with more rather than less RAM.

Cheers

Russell

 

[Mac Pro 5GB]

Don't forget to try suspending the VM and then restarting it. I am using less than 50% of the real memory after doing this restart from suspension than a fresh start. I saw about 500MB of real memory usage after a fresh start but after a suspend and restart it is now only using about 150MB of real memory.

 

[nevrozel]

Don't forget to try suspending the VM and then restarting it. I am using less than 50% of the real memory after doing this restart from suspension than a fresh start. I saw about 500MB of real memory usage after a fresh start but after a suspend and restart it is now only using about 150MB of real memory.

Hehe, interesting trick. I'll try this one.

 

[luz]

XP will only be able to cause memory usage to increase in OS X up to the limit you set when you assigned RAM to the VM. Plus the VRAM assigned to the VM. Then a little overhead from Parallels itselft (~50Mb according to Tim).

I know, really. What I was trying to say is that because the increase rate is so low, it did not reach the limit of the VM config within the time I had to test so far, so I don't know at this time if this happens within the VM or not. I know that it stops when the VM is paused - which is different from the leak apparently caused by switching live screenshot icon in the dock off.

Just some data for the Parallels people that might eventually help to find the leak (if it is one in Parallels).

 

[nevrozel]

I can confirm what Mac Pro 5GB's trick. I started XP, suspended, resumed and now it consumes a LOT less RAM! Great trick! Parallels team, now try to think about this one.