AMT Software offers two high-performance RAM disk products: RamDisk and RamDisk Plus®
These products create virtual disks from the server's system memory (RAM).
Although in many respects a virtual disk behaves like a physical hard disk,
in one key area it does not: it is much, much faster, up to 50x faster or more.
Like a physical disk, a RAM disk can be assigned a drive letter and contain a file system
(including NTFS with compression). Applications can copy, move and delete files on it.
Additionally, it can be shared, so
other computers can access it on a network.
RamDisk supports a single RAM disk with no backup capability. RamDisk Plus adds multiple disk support,
system page file support, and a versatile disk image backup facility.
Ramdisk patent-pending technology adds the ability to manually save the RAM disk's contents, or automatically
save the contents when the server is shutdown. This feature ensures that service and application data stored
on the RAM disk can be preserved between system restarts. During the subsequent system start-up, the disk's
image is automatically loaded.
Ramdisk is seen as a physical disk to the Windows OS
as you can see on the Screenshot below.
Cluster Resource
On Windows server clusters RamDisk and RamDisk Plus provide support for a RAM Disk cluster resource.
Cluster applications which access temporary data on disk can now redirect their temporary data files to a
RAM Disk cluster resource to improve application performance.
SQL Server is an example of a cluster application
that benefits from this feature.
Risk
If the system loses power or crashes, the RAM disk's current contents will be lost.
An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) can reduce the risk of data loss but not eliminate it.
For low-risk performance solutions, see SuperVolume and
SuperCache II .
Security
Another reason for using a RAM disk is security or privacy. Once the server is restarted or shutdown,
the contents of the RAM disk are lost. For some services or applications, this is an important attribute
that contributes to the protection of sensitive data or information.
Quality
"Designed for Windows Server 2003": RamDisk and RamDisk Plus have been thoroughly tested to meet Microsoft
standards for Windows compatibility. Microsoft awards this logo to products that deliver a reliable,
high-quality computing experience with Windows operating systems.
Ramdisk vs. Ramdisk Plus Comparison Chart
|
Feature
|
RamDisk
Plus |
RamDisk
|
|
Microsoft "Designed for Windows Server 2003" logo'd
|
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Disk size from 1 MB to 64 GB (512 GB 64-bit) *
|
|
|
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Configurable as a cluster resource
|
|
|
|
Number of RAM disks supported
|
99
|
1
|
|
Manage by Graphical User and Command Line interfaces
|
|
|
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No synchronization issues with auto-start services
|
|
|
|
RAM disk(s) available very early in system startup
|
|
|
|
Compressed image file for faster image loading
|
|
|
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Reserve image file space required for a "full" RAM disk option
|
|
|
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Dynamic image save operation
|
|
|
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Save RAM disk image automatically at system shutdown option
|
|
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|
Load a RAM disk from an image file
|
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Move an existing RAM disk's image file from one volume to another
|
|
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Change an existing RAM disk's drive letter
|
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System page file support
|
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