Difference between revisions of "FAQ: Understanding Memory"
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=== How do I allocate more memory for MIPAV? === | === How do I allocate more memory for MIPAV? === | ||
| − | 1 Select <span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline">'''<font color="#000000">Help > Memory Allocation</font>'''</span> in the MIPAV window. The Change Java.Runtime Memory Allocation dialog box (Figure 1) opens.<br / | + | 1 Select <span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline">'''<font color="#000000">Help > Memory Allocation</font>'''</span> in the MIPAV window. The Change Java.Runtime Memory Allocation dialog box (Figure 1) opens.<br /> |
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Revision as of 16:16, 9 March 2012
Contents
How do I allocate more memory for MIPAV?
1 Select Help > Memory Allocation in the MIPAV window. The Change Java.Runtime Memory Allocation dialog box (Figure 1) opens.
2 Change the Maximum heap size so that it reflects the maximum amount of desired memory to be allocated.
If additional memory is needed, MIPAV allocates it until the memory reaches the maximum heap size you entered.
The maximum heap size should not exceed the amount of RAM installed on the computer. For example, if the computer has 512 Kb of RAM, a good number for the maximum heap size is 450 Kb, which leaves some space for the operating system and other applications.
3 Click OK. The Restart Needed message (Figure 2) appears.
4 Do one of the following:
To close and restart MIPAV immediately, click Yes. MIPAV closes. In a moment, MIPAV starts again, and the memory changes take effect.
To postpone restarting MIPAV, click No. The Restart Needed dialog box closes.
If you click No, the memory settings for MIPAV do not change. To make the settings take effect, you must close and restart MIPAV.
How much memory does MIPAV require to run?
MIPAV requires a base of at least 10 Mb of random access memory (RAM). However, to correctly display image files and to quantify the data, you need to allocate more memory, disk swap space, or install additional memory beyond this base. Each time MIPAV is installed, it always defaults to 100 Mb.
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What affects memory requirements?
Memory requirements fluctuate depending on the size and number of image files that are open at the same time. Factors affecting memory requirements are the following:
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Note: Java provides a method called Garbage Collector that clears all unnecessarily reserved memory. Generally, the software does this automatically, when free memory becomes very limited. However, you can run the Garbage Collector at any time to free memory (refer to [FAQMain.backup.html#1002914 "How do I free memory?" ]).
How do I determine the amount of additional memory needed?
Example 1
If an image file is 2 Mb and you only want to display one image file at a time, you must allocate an additional 20 Mb of RAM to the base memory of 10 Mb to result in a memory requirement of 30 Mb.
Example 2
If the largest size image file is 2 Mb and you want to display 3 image files simultaneously, multiply 2 Mb by 10. Then multiply that sum by 3. Add that total to the base memory of 10 Mb to yield a memory requirement of 70 Mb.
How do I determine how much memory is currently being used?
In the MIPAV window, select Help > Memory Usage. The Memory Monitor dialog box (Figure 3]) appears.
The Memory Monitor dialog box shows how much memory is allocated and the amount of memory that is being used. The graph displays a pictorial representation of the ratio of allocated memory and amount of memory used. It shows the memory usage during the past 3 minutes and 45 seconds.
Note: You can leave this window open if you want to constantly monitor your memory resources.
How do I free memory?
The Garbage Collector allows you to delete unnecessarily reserved memory. To free memory, do the following procedure periodically:
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