Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

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Bettafo
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Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Bettafo »

Good day to all!

0/ I do quite a fair bit of programs installation / desinstallation and updates, compressions/decompressions, video encoding from two HDDs

The way I understand it, all the files associated with these tasks are not worth caching as the files involved are used once only. My real interest is for PrimoCache to help me accelerate loading times for HDD-based games (with a level-2 cache) and for my most used SSD-based windows programs (with level-1 cache).
If set up a level-2 cache for my two HDDs will PrimoCache be able to intelligently recognize what operations are the ones worth caching or do I have for that to install my games on their own cached volumes?
Or am I likely in that scenario to be better served with installing the 2-3 games that I play the most at a given moment on my SSD and forget about caching altogether?

(Setup: 1 250Go M2 PCIE SSD with 2 OSes in dual boot / 1 500Go SSD to dedicate to level-2 caching / Two 4To HDDs with data and games)


1/ Is Primo cache compatible with a dual boot setup?

My system has a classic Win 7 / Win 10 dual boot setup (Win 10 as default)
I'd like to install PrimoCache on Win7. Will the dual boot be a problem?
If I later decide to also have PrimoCache running on Win10, will installing it on both OSes in dual boot create problems?
Will I have have to buy two licenses?


2/ Can a level-2 storage volume be on an SSD that is used to boot the OS?

I have Windows installed on an relatively small M.2 PCIE SSD (C:/)
At the moment I have the Windows swap files, Temp and Windows Temp folders, and Users folder on one a HDD. But I am thinking of migrating these to my 500Go SSD (partition E:/) and then use the rest of the space on it (about 400Go) to set up a level-2 cache for the HDDs (partition F:/).
Would it be a somehow a potential source of problems that the level-2 storage volume is on a disk with a partition (E:/) that is used as part of booting the OS?


3/ How does Primo cache handle symbolic links?

If a source (folder and its contents) is on a slow drive (HDD) but it is accessed via a symbolic link on a fast drive (SSD) will Primo cache recognize that folder and its files as being on a slow HDD an potentially requiring caching or will it mistakenly think that there are on the SSD?


4/ Does having RAM beyond the max 16Gb acknowledged by Windows 7 x64 (by contrast the x64 professional/enterprise/ultimate versions acknowledge up to 192 Gb) qualify as invisible memory?

I have 32Gb of RAM but my Win x64 home premium manages only 16. Can I set a Level-1 cache with 0Gb OS managed memory and 16Gb (incuding overhead) of OS invisible memory?


Thank you in advance for the help.
Cheers
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

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Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm If set up a level-2 cache for my two HDDs will PrimoCache be able to intelligently recognize what operations are the ones worth caching or do I have for that to install my games on their own cached volumes?
No. PrimoCache caches all possible data, and replace old data based on data usages when cache is full.
It is better you install all games to a separate volume and then cache this volume only. So the cache contents won't be messed by others, providing better cache performance.
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm Or am I likely in that scenario to be better served with installing the 2-3 games that I play the most at a given moment on my SSD and forget about caching altogether?
PrimoCache caches data after you read them.
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm 1/ Is Primo cache compatible with a dual boot setup?
For level-1 cache there's no problem. But for level-2 cache, you have to concern the "offline modification" issue. See
https://www.romexsoftware.com/en-us/pri ... cache.html
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm Will I have have to buy two licenses?
No, only one is enough.
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm 2/ Can a level-2 storage volume be on an SSD that is used to boot the OS?
Yes.
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm 3/ How does Primo cache handle symbolic links?
PrimoCache only caches destination files. For eg. assume symbolic links are on the drive C and destination files are on the drive D. If D is cached by PrimoCache, cache will work when accessing the symbolic links. If C is cached while D is not, cache will not work when accessing these files.
Bettafo wrote: Thu Mar 05, 2020 8:39 pm 4/ Does having RAM beyond the max 16Gb acknowledged by Windows 7 x64 (by contrast the x64 professional/enterprise/ultimate versions acknowledge up to 192 Gb) qualify as invisible memory?
Yes.
Bettafo
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Bettafo »

Great help: swift, concise and to the point. Thank you, it helped a lot.

A last question to clarify the potential risk of "offline modification" in my case.
My understanding is:
- If my Win7 and Win10 OSes and their respective swap files, Temp and Windows Temp folders, and Users folders are on their own SSD partitions, with only level-1 cache; Then "offline modification" has no impact there because this is level-1 caching.
- If I make separate level-2 cached partitions (on the same disk) for my games, respectively one for those games installed/modified/updated/run under Win7 and one for those installed/modified/updated/run under Win10; Then I should have no "offline modification" issues provided that I stick to not messing with files of the Win7 games partition when I run Win 10, and vice versa.

Does that sound correct?
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Support »

Yes. Please note that Win7 game partition and Win10 game partition shall not be the same partition.
Fujita
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Fujita »

Is that normal?
Bettafo
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Bettafo »

So I have installed and am trying PrimoCache :)

I have one remaining question: For a level-1 cache exclusively using invisible memory (OS managed memory =0) is the memory overhead taken from invisible memory or managed memory?
In other worlds in my particular case I have 16Gb of invisible memory that I want to dedicate to level-1 caching (no need for front-end or back-end reserved space, no other program using invisible memory that I am aware of). Can I set the IM cache up to the maximum proposed (16328 Mb)? Or should I take into account the overhead so that level-1 IM cache + overhead <= 16Gb? Or should I reserve an amount os OS Managed Memory >= memory overhead?

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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Support »

Memory overhead always uses Windows managed memory. It can't use Invisible Memory. If you see the memory overhead is large, you may increase the cache block size.
Bettafo
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Re: Considering using PrimoCache, but I have a few questions

Post by Bettafo »

Thank you!
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