I’m running a dev VM with SQL Server 2005 and other apps. The other apps are super slow. Turns out SQL Server is eating up all the memory. I found out it’s normal for SQL Server to grab as much memory as it can, but it’s not giving it back fast enough when other apps need it.
I know there’s a way to set a memory limit for SQL Server. But I’m not sure what limit to use. Is there a minimum amount it needs to work properly? Any tips?
My dev machine has 2GB of RAM, and I want to run the VM on 768MB or less if possible. It’s just for local dev and testing, so the workload is pretty light. The real SQL Server is on its own box in another environment.
What I really want to know is: what’s the lowest memory I can give SQL Server and still have it work okay?
Can anyone share their experience with this? How low have you gone with SQL Server memory on a dev setup?
Hey there! curious about your setup. have u tried adjusting the ‘max server memory’ setting? it’s in the server properties. What other apps are u running? Maybe we can brainstorm some tweaks to balance things out. Ever considered using SQL Express for dev work? It’s lighter on resources.
Based on my experience, you can safely set SQL Server 2005’s minimum memory to around 128MB for a dev environment with light workloads. This should allow it to function adequately while freeing up resources for other applications.
To configure this, access SQL Server Management Studio, right-click your server instance, select Properties, then Memory. Set both minimum and maximum server memory to 128MB.
Keep in mind that this is a conservative estimate. You may need to adjust upwards if you encounter performance issues or downwards if other apps still struggle. Monitor your system’s behavior after making changes and fine-tune as necessary.
For future dev setups, consider using SQL Server Express or LocalDB, which are more resource-friendly alternatives designed for development environments.
hey ava, i’ve dealt with this before. for a light dev setup, you can probably get away with setting sql server’s max memory to around 256-300mb. that should leave enough for your other apps.
just remember to adjust it if you start seeing performance issues. good luck!