#.net monitor code
#.net monitor windows

#.net monitor code

NET applications really do have a high memory footprint relative to most native code applications (Java has the same problem). High figures in Task Manager needn’t concern the user if the system is running well.

#.net monitor windows

If they are swapped to disk, and the user isn’t actively using the application, then they aren’t having much impact on other applications.įirst, Windows generally does a good job of memory management. As we’ve seen, the Private Bytes may not all be in physical memory. It is probably the most useful single figure when you want to know “How much memory does my app use?” It still needs qualification. So what are these Private Bytes? This is memory allocated to the process that cannot be shared by other processes. Now Task Manager has changed from pessimist to optimist. The figure for Working Set drops like a stone, but Private Bytes remains the same, typically much higher. Bear in mind that Task Manager reports Kilobytes, while Perfmon shows a decimal value. You’re likely to find that the Working Set value is higher than the Private Bytes value, and matches the value in Task Manager. In Perfmon, you can get the current value of a counter by selecting it in the list. In the Counters list, select Private Bytes and choose Add. In the Add counters dialog, choose Process under Performance object. Then go to Perfmon, right-click the list of counters at the bottom of the right-hand pane and choose Add counters. Note the Mem Usage figure in Task Manager. Fire up Performance Monitor (Start – Run – Perfmon). If you’ve not done so before, try this experiment. In this case, the Task Manager figure understates the real memory requirements. The Working Set does not include memory paged to disk. When you trim the Working Set, Windows not only trims unneeded memory from the allocation, but also pages memory to disk where possible. For these reasons, the Working Set may overstate the real memory requirements of the application. Windows may also allocate additional memory to the process in case it may be needed later. Therefore, there is double counting in Task Manager’s mem usage column. To complicate matters, some of the memory in the Working Set may be shared with other processes, including parts of the. This is the amount of physical RAM allocated to the process. What Task Manager reports is called the Working Set. Here’s my high-level understanding of how it works.

However, the point that needs emphasizing is that the minimized figure is just as misleading as Task Manager’s figure. You don’t even need to minimize it: if you execute the API call SetProcessWorkingSetSize with -1,-1 arguments, then Windows will trim the working set immediately.

Minimize your application and you’ll see how little it really needs.” Newcomer minimizes the app, and sees the Mem Usage reported go down to say 750K. The app doesn’t really use that much RAM Windows will give it back if other apps need it. Why does my simple VB.NET Windows application use 12MB RAM?” The answer comes back, “Don’t worry. NET says: “I’ve just been looking at Task Manager. NET discussion groups you’ll see many conversations like this.