Unit 3 Lab Assignment 3: Memory Management (30 point
In this assignment, you will learn to collect information about your OS’s virtual memory. For each
of the two questions, do the following:
1. Create a document (use Microsoft word or any equivalent tool such as
LibreOffice) and name it appropriately to reflect the assignment type, number,
and your name.
2. Answer the following questions (if any) in the document you created and
justify your answers. To do this, you may need to perform some tasks on your
computer, use a snipping or “print screen” tool to take screenshots, and paste
the illustrations/pictures into the document. Showing screenshots only does
not constitute answering a question. You need to provide both the answer
to the question and the screenshots.
3. Save and upload the document to the learning management system
(Blackboard). Upload the two documents at once.
Do not forget to show visual evidence (screenshots) of the main actions you took to answer
the questions.
Question 1: Windows Virtual Memory (15 points)
Windows sets the initial minimum size of the paging file equal to the amount of random access
memory (RAM) installed on your computer plus 300 megabytes (MB), and the maximum size
equal to three times the amount of RAM installed on your computer.
If you receive warnings that your virtual memory is low, you’ll need to increase the
minimum size of your paging file. If you see warnings at these recommended levels, then
increase the minimum and maximum sizes.
1. Checking the size of virtual memory
a. Under “Control panel,” find “System and security,” and then “System.”
b. In the left pane, click “Advanced system settings.” Administrator permission
required If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type
the password or provide confirmation.
c. On the “Advanced” tab, under “Performance,“ click “Settings.”
d. What is the size of your paging file?
2. Changing the size of the virtual memory
a. Did the system automatically allocate your paging file size?
b. What is the minimum allocated size?
c. Set the “maximum size” to 1.5 times the current value. Beware the units.
i. Click the “Advanced” tab, and then, under “Virtual memory,” click Change.
ii. Clear the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” check box.
iii. Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you
want to change.
iv. Click Custom size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or
Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.
Note: Increases in size usually don’t require a restart for the changes to take effect, but if you
decrease the size, you’ll need to restart your computer. We recommend that you don’t disable or
delete the paging file.
Do not forget to show visual evidence of the main actions you took to answer the questions.
Question 2: Linux Virtual Memory (15 points)
You may perform the tasks in this question on any Linux system. You may find help in [1]. After
completing this lab, you will be able to show the total amount of memory, display memory details,
understand the details listed in /proc/meminfo, and use tools like dmesg, dmidecode, free, and
vmstat to manage virtual memory.
1. Use the dmesg utility to tell me how much total memory you have installed on your Linux
machine, and how much is currently available. (2 points)
2. In a Linux OS, what types of files are located in the /proc directory? (1 point)
3. Use the cat utility to display the content of /proc/meminfo. What is the total configured
swap disk size, and how much is free currently? What does the “Dirty” field represent? (4
points)
4. What two attribute values from the output from q. 3 should a system administrator be
monitoring constantly in order to avoid being surprised by a system crash? (2 points)
5. Use the privilege command “dmidecole –type 17” to display information about your RAM
module. Who is the manufacturer of your RAM module? (2 points)
6. Use the “free” command to display your physical memory and your virtual memory
capacities. (1 point)
7. Use the privilege command “vmstat –slabs” to display your virtual memory and paging
statistics. (1 point)
8. When the swap memory is used by the system, what is the implication on the system
performance, as compared to when there is no need to use it? (2 points)
Do not forget to show visual evidence of the main actions you took to answer the questions.
Reference: [1] Michael Boelen, “Understanding memory information on Linux systems,”
[Available Online] [Date
