Using Memory
Memory usage is perhaps the most important factor in system performance. When memory demand exceeds supply, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server moves blocks of code and data, called pages, from random access memory (RAM) to disk to free up space for a process. Some paging is acceptable because it enables Windows 2000 Server to use more memory than actually exists in physical memory (RAM). Constant paging, however, is a drain on system performance.
When you start Windows 2000 Server, it automatically creates a paging file (Pagefile.sys) on your system. Windows 2000 Server uses the paging file to provide virtual memory. The recommended size for the paging file is equivalent to the amount of RAM available on your system plus 12 megabytes (MB). However, the size of the file also depends on the amount of free space available on your hard disk when the file is created. For information about scalability, see the Commerce Server 2000 Resource Kit.