RAMdisk setup

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RAMbo
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RAMdisk setup

Post by RAMbo »

I post in this section because I think this is the section I need...

I've a Primo Cache license. Hit rate about 35%. Demo of Primo RAM Pro
One of my major uses is a program that uses/searches databases. 99.9% reading.
About 15GB of databases. My PC has 64GB, so enough to cache everything.
The actual software and the databases that need to be cached are in different folders.
How do I set this up.
I could copy the databases to the ramdisk, but the software that uses the databases will still access my SSD instead of the RAMdisk.
The software updates the databases once in a while. How do I configure Primo RAMdisk to load the folder containing the databases?
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Jaga
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by Jaga »

You could try using Symlinks, which allows you to move the folders to another partition and leave a soft "link folder" in their original place. Then you just cache the partition you moved them to. I've done it with several game folders in the past.
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RAMbo
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by RAMbo »

How do I cache a partition?
The only way I know filling the RAMdisk is by copying files to it.
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Jaga
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by Jaga »

RAMbo wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 9:19 pm How do I cache a partition?
The only way I know filling the RAMdisk is by copying files to it.
Yes I misspoke, usually the discussion is centered around Primocache and caching important folders. :D Apologies for the confusion.

You can accomplish the same thing by moving the folders to the RAMdisk and using Symlinks in their place at their original location to point to the new location. I use Junction Link Magic to create/remove Symlinks on my workstation. Be sure to make backups of the folders you are moving before creating the Symlinks, as it can be destructive if the destination folder gets overwritten during the creation of the Symlink. Once the process is complete you can remove the temporary backed up files, but be sure to backup your RAMdisk often.
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RAMbo
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by RAMbo »

Just wondering....
Is that symbolic link kept in memory or on the SSD.
One of the reasons for a RAMdisk is the extremely low access time, but if the program goes to the SSD all the time and then gets redirected the access time may increase.

Yeah backups are needed but not so often. Usually the files are updated once every 1-3 weeks.
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Jaga
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by Jaga »

The data is on the target drive, which in your case would be the RAMdrive. When Windows goes to the SSD to get data from any Symlinked folder, it is simply redirected instantly. There's little to no overhead, so the data is read/written lightning fast.

I've used it with a game that has tons of small reads/writes (Sims 3), and it performs spectacularly when on a RAMdrive. Even though I have a fast NVMe, I still use Primo Ramdisk for that game if I ever fire it up.
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Re: RAMdisk setup

Post by Support »

In the Primo Ramdisk MiniTools dialog, there is a tool called "Junction Points" to create symlinks. After the link is created, it's persistent until you remove the link. Real data will be stored in the ramdisk, so you need to enable the image file feature to able to save ramdisk contents across reboots. It's also recommended that you backup your data often since usually database is very important.
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