We noticed that Linux does a lot of IO buffering/caching, I mean more than 1 gig of RAM goes to buffers and cache according to the "free" command. Our systems have a lot of RAM, often unused. What we are wondering is whether that buffer/cache is write or read or both? and if so, is there a way to turn off writing cache/buffers?
Thanks,
--Carlos
Linux uses free RAM for cacheing all disk traffic (except for explicit direct I/O). The memory will be returned to the code/data as soon as it is needed.
For details on the memory management, get the book
Understanding the Linux Kernel
published by O'Reilly.
The details are too long to be explained in a news mwssage.
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