Re: [PLUG] Network based RAM

Art Alexion <art.alexion@verizon.net> · Thu, 06 Sep 2007 14:17:13 -0400

On Thursday 06 September 2007 13:49:21 Walt Mankowski wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 06, 2007 at 12:15:19PM -0400, Art Alexion wrote:
> > On Wednesday 05 September 2007 14:55:24 Walt Mankowski wrote:
> > > On Wed, Sep 05, 2007 at 02:46:29PM -0400, Art Alexion wrote:
> > > > On Tuesday 04 September 2007 13:51:59 Brent Saner wrote:
> > > > > what would be nice in the future is to see consumer-level mobos
> > > > > with hotpluggable RAM, maybe even externally. that'd solve this
> > > > > entire problem.
> > > >
> > > > While this sounds cool, it also seems an expensive and inefficient
> > > > way to add RAM.  With "hot-pluggable" RAM, I am trying to envision a
> > > > reason I'd want to /remove/ RAM.  So if I'm adding it permanently,
> > > > why not just use RAM modules instead?
> > >
> > > Two reasons right off the top of my head:
> > >
> > > 1) The individual RAM chip died.
> > > 2) You want to remove it and replace it with a bigger RAM chip.
> >
> > Those are reasons for /replacing/ RAM, but I read this hot-plugging as
> > adding and /removing/ RAM as in: "I think I need an extra GB of RAM to
> > encode this video. ... OK, done encoding.  I'll unplug it and go back to
> > 512k."
>
> Well, if you want to replace RAM, you've got to remove the old chip
> before you put in the new one...

I am sorry that I am not communicating well.  I was referring to removing RAM 
as in 

"My 1 gb RAM is too much.  I will remove 512k.  That should make things 
better." 

as opposed to 

"Uh-oh, one of my RAM modules doesn't seem to be recognized any more; let me 
remove it to the trash can and replace it with a shiny new one."

Hot swappable RAM seems to address the first scenario.  Shutting down, opening 
the case and replacing or upgrading a module seems to address the second 
scenario.

My question was addressed to the first scenario.  Why would anyone who has 
added/increased RAM wish to remove/decrease RAM?