SQL Server 2000 64-bit eagerly acquires the amount of memory that is specified in the min server memory configuration option (918035)

MORE INFORMATION

The min server memory configuration option and the max server memory configuration option establish upper limits and lower limits to the amount of memory that is used by a SQL Server database engine. The amount of memory is allocated in the buffer pool that is used by an instance of SQL Server. In versions of SQL Server other than SQL Server 2000 64-bit, the database engine does not immediately acquire the amount of memory that is specified in the min server memory configuration option in the buffer pool. The buffer pool starts with only the memory that is required to initialize. However, the behavior is different in SQL Server 2000 64-bit.

In SQL Server 2000 64-bit, the amount of memory that is specified in the min server memory configuration option is eagerly acquired in the buffer pool when SQL Server is started. This behavior also occurs when you increase the value of the min server memory configuration option, and then run the RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE Transact-SQL statement to enable the new setting. In this scenario, SQL Server 2000 64-bit starts allocating memory and does not stop until it reaches the specified amount of memory.

Additionally, SQL Server does not immediately release already allocated memory when you decrease the value of the min server memory configuration option. In this scenario, memory may be released depending on memory management behavior of the SQL Server database engine.