Memory configuration

Arttu Soininen

Memory configuration

• 32 bit operating system has a 4GB address space
• Windows reserves 2GB of that
• Application can use 2GB of RAM
• MicroStation + MDL applications share the

same 2GB

• Windows fragments the memory space
• Typical configuration has:

– Largest free block in MicroStation J about 700 MB
– Largest free block in MicroStation SE about 900 MB
– Largest free block in MicroStation V8 about 800 MB

Cause of fragmentation

• Each DLL has a base address stored in the DLL

file

• Windows loads DLLs to their image base address
• Windows loads system DLLs into application

memory space areas:

– 0x00000000 - 0x0FFFFFFF (character maps etc)
– 0x68000000 - 0x7FFFFFFF (various services)

• Application and system utility writers have to

specify a base address for DLLs they write

• Nobody coordinates the memory use

Testing your configuration

• Test TerraScan key-in command: development

memory

– shows available memory areas in MicroStation Text Window
– first row shows the largest free area

• Download Process explorer from

www.sysinternals.com

• Run while MicroStation is running

– select MicroStation in upper pane
– select View / Lower pane view / DLLs menu item
– set lower pane to display at least Base, Size and Path
– see what DLLs occupy memory area 0x10000000 -

0x5FFFFFFF

Improving memory

configuration

• Find/download REBASE.EXE
• You can:

– Disable or uninstall memory resident utilities which

occupy memory area 0x10000000 - 0x5FFFFFFF

– Rebase memory resident utility DLLs (tricky)
– Rebase MicroStation SE DLLs

• MicroStation SE:

– Clear memory area 0x1000000 - 0x5FFFFFFF /

0x67FFFFFF

– Can reach 1600 MB continuous memory area

• MicroStation V8:

– Can not rebase MicroStation DLLs
– Can reach 1200 MB continuous memory area

Rebasing MicroStation SE

DLLs

• You can rebase DLLs when MicroStation is

not running

– \mdlsys\required\mptools.dll
– \mdlsys\asneeded\olecntr.dll
– others if needed

• Example commands:

– rebase -b 0x67000000 olecntr.dll
– rebase -b 0x67080000 mptools.dll

Windows XP Pro SP2

• Supports 3GB application memory space
• Gives an additional 1 GB area for an application
• Modify c:\boot.ini to have /3GB boot option:

[boot loader]
timeout=15
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="XP Pro 3GB" /3GB /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn

• Modify MicroStation executable with command:

editbin /LARGEADDRESSAWARE ustation.exe

• editbin.exe comes with Visual Studio 6.0 or

download MASM32 from www.masm32.com

Windows XP SP2

• Windows XP Service Pack 2 has a badly

placed DLL

• Start Windows in Safe Mode with Command

Prompt

• Enter commands:

– cd \terra
– copy c:\windows\system32\xpsp2res.dll c:\terra
– rebase -b 0x70000000 xpsp2res.dll
– move c:\windows\system32\xpsp2res.dll c:\
– copy xpsp2res.dll c:\windows\system32

• Restart Windows

Windows XP x64

• Supports 4GB application memory space
• Gives an additional 2 GB area for an

application

• Modify MicroStation executable with

command:

editbin /LARGEADDRESSAWARE ustation.exe

• editbin.exe comes with Visual Studio 6.0 or

download MASM32 from www.masm32.com

• Best Windows for memory hungry 32 bit

software!