Out of memory problem, swap memory hiding

Hello everyone,

I'm solving system of ode-s using ode23s. I have around sixty equations and a LOT of time steps. As a result, matrices I'm working with are very large and memory runs out. I think total memory requriement is a bit more that 15 gigabytes. My pc memory is not even close to half of that. Is there a way to use swap file as my "primary memory"? I'm using win7 x64. I have set swap file to 150 GB but MATLAB doesn't see it (AFAIK). When i use memory command it only reports phisical ram.

I have a few other ideas (splitting data, increasing time step) but I don't want to do them as long there's a chance of swap file working.

I'm kinda stuck so your intput is very much appreciated. thanks

Answer 1

[José-Luis]

Calling or storing data in a hard drive, even if it is an ssd, is order of magnitudes slower than using the RAM. Considering the amount of swap space (located in your hard drive) you need, you might seriously cripple your program. I would first consider revising the approach.

Also, it is possible that your maximum array size is lower than the total available space. That depends on your platform and Matlab version:

 <http://www.mathworks.se/support/solutions/en/data/1-IHYHFZ/index.html>

In your case, however, it shouldn't be a problem. It is very hard to make Matlab not see the swap space. Are you sure you are using 64 bit Matlab? It is possible to run 32 bit Matlab in 64 bit systems.

Answer 2

[miro]

Thank you for your answer. Time is not important, only solution is important; as the wise alien once said :) Time is not relevant for the execution of this simulation, as long as it is under a few days.

I'm quite sure that i'm using 64bit matlab. I remeber i was checking that.

OK then, if the problem shouldn't be in Matlab, then I'm doing something wrong. I will check everything and report back.

Cheers