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Author Topic: Convenience of Using cache-clear  (Read 2741 times)

Offline SamK

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Convenience of Using cache-clear
« on: February 09, 2010, 05:09:27 AM »
Clearing the cache is becoming a frequent event for me.  To make it more convenient I am considering adding a menu entry to FLWM. 

Are there any practical (as opposed to theoretical) disadvantages to running cache-clear often?

Are there any plans to add this menu option to future versions of TC?
 

Offline curaga

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Re: Convenience of Using cache-clear
« Reply #1 on: February 09, 2010, 05:23:36 AM »
No disadvantages, except that it slows down your access to files that were in cache before the clear.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline SamK

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Re: Convenience of Using cache-clear
« Reply #2 on: February 09, 2010, 06:10:07 AM »
...it slows down your access to files that were in cache before the clear.
The access time difference is unnoticeable and quite acceptable to me; which leads to a further ideas. 

  • Is it possible automatically run cache-clear to a repeating schedule?  For example every 15 minutes or 20 or 45 or whatever the user might consider appropriate.
  • Might it be possible to set a threshold value e.g. a percentage of available RAM? If the theshold is exceeded cache-clear is automatically started

Offline curaga

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Re: Convenience of Using cache-clear
« Reply #3 on: February 09, 2010, 10:34:21 AM »
Sure, cron is available in the base for automating tasks.

Your second point however is getting a bit redundant - caches, and freeing them when necessary, is done by the kernel already. Quite well usually, but things are tunable in /proc/sys.

Having a process looking at the used caches would just consume cpu without any benefit IMHO.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline SamK

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Re: Convenience of Using cache-clear
« Reply #4 on: February 09, 2010, 11:57:43 AM »
Your second point however is getting a bit redundant - caches, and freeing them when necessary, is done by the kernel already. Quite well usually, but things are tunable in /proc/sys.
On my test rig the cache slowly fills up over a period of hours often to the point of rendering the system unresponsive (monitored via top).  Unless the cache is cleared manually, the memory usage continues to rise.  A small decrease can,of course, be obtained by closing an app.

I have begun to rely on frequently running cache-clear manually to maintain a workable environment - hence my question about the use and automation of it.  Relying on the kernel to maintain it is problematical for me.