Hermes page pool tests - 8525, TyTN, MDA Vario II, JasJam Software Upgradin

What is the Page Pool?
Quoting mamaich:
The large the paging pool is, the more code pages can present in RAM simultaneously -> the less loads from slow ROM -> the faster the device is.
Quoting Mike Calligaro from Windows Mobile Team Blog:
In general terms, there are a number RAM uses that aren't reported in the Memory CPL.
For instance, an OEM might set aside a fair amount of RAM to allow the camera to write directly into it without using the CPU (a DMA buffer). Typically the way they do that is to tell the system there is less than the available RAM and then use the RAM the system doesn't know about.
Another example is something called the "page pool." This is similar to the "page file" on a desktop system, and is heavilly used on NAND systems. The page pool isn't something a user can configure, so there's not much point in showing it in the Memory CPL.
Code that can't be shut down or paged out, especially drivers, isn't shown on that Memory CPL either. There's no reason to show you the RAM the display driver is using, because you can't do anything about it.
Applications use RAM in two ways. There is code that runs, and there is data that is created while it is running. On a NOR device, the code can run directly from the ROM and not be loaded into RAM first. This process is called XIP (eXecute In Place). NAND devices can't XIP, so their code is loaded into RAM and executed from there. If you don't have a Page Pool, this code is loaded into normal RAM. The Page Pool is a mechanism to limit how much code is loaded into normal RAM. With a Page Pool, we can unload code that hasn't been used in a while and reload it later if we need to. We can't do that without a Page Pool.
More information:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=276630
http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/11/17/494177.aspx
http://blogs.msdn.com/windowsmobile/archive/2005/08/19/453784.aspx
How to find the page pool offset on Hermes ROMs?
Take the Hex editor of your choice (I use radare) and open OS.nb.
Search the ASCI string "NKKD8", you'll find it two times, take the one more near to the end of the file.
Scroll down a bit until you find the HEXA string "64 00 00 00", page pool should be around there.
If anyone knows a better method please explain
Example using OS.nb from WM6 ROM for hermes
We find the second "NKKD8" at offset 0x3B6C90:
Code:
offset 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F 0123456789ABCDEF
----------------+----------------------------------------+----------------.
00000000003B6C90 4E4B 4B44 3800 0000 0000 0005 0000 0000 |NKKD8...........|
00000000003B6CA0 00C8 FFFF 8039 2D80 4060 2880 B069 2880 |[email protected]`(..i(.|
00000000003B6CB0 B869 2880 AC69 2880 144A 0180 805D 2D80 |.i(..i(..J...]-.|
00000000003B6CC0 602A 2D80 1829 0080 0000 0000 0000 0000 |`*-..)..........|
Further down we can find this:
Code:
offset 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F 0123456789ABCDEF
----------------+----------------------------------------+----------------.
00000000003B6F40 581D 0480 C41C 0480 BC1C 0480 00B0 0400 |X...............|
00000000003B6F50 FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF 9B4F FFFF 64B0 0000 |.........O..d...|
[COLOR="Sienna"]00000000003B6F60 6400 0000 A85B 0480 0000 [b]6000[/b] 0000 0000 |d....[....`.....|[/COLOR]
00000000003B6F70 38E8 0180 C43C 0280 DC6B 0180 00B0 0380 |8....<...k......|
00000000003B6F80 882D 0280 FC2C 0280 D488 0480 5489 0480 |.-...,......T...|
So, we can see the page pool is at offset 0x3B6F6B and is set to 6 Mb.
The pagepool value is specified in HEXA, so for example:
Change "6000" to "4000" for a 4Mb paging pool
Change "6000" to "8000" for a 8Mb paging pool
Change "6000" to "C000" for a 12Mb paging pool
Change "6000" to "F000" for a 16Mb paging pool
Finding the best page pool size
The page pool size is a compromise between memory available to programs and speed. On WM6 ROM:
With 4Mb page pool we get a Total Program Memory available of 50.68 Mb, and SPB Benchmark index 347.88.
With 6Mb page pool we get a Total Program Memory available of 48.68 Mb, and SPB Benchmark index 346.03.
With 8Mb page pool we get a Total Program Memory available of 46.67 Mb, and SPB Benchmark index 345.95.
With 12Mb page pool we get a Total Program Memory available of 42.66 Mb, and SPB Benchmark index 348.53.
With 16Mb page pool we get a Total Program Memory available of 39.64 Mb, and SPB Benchmark index 351.26.
I attach the SPB benchmark results, so anyone can take its conclusions

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Does it works for WM5 too ?

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yes, it's exactly the same in wm5

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Suprising results. Smallest and largest pool size were the fastest. It was obviously an increase as the size increased.
No point IMO changing it to anything other than 16mb or 4mb. Its stange how the least amount of memory allows for the second fastest speed.

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When I run some programs then after I have killed the running program some other programs fail to start till I do a soft reset. One example is Opera 8.60. after running and killing Opera 8.60 I cannot start Netfront 3.3 and Softmaker's Planmaker.
I don't know if this is even relevant but Just wanted to know if I experiment with different page pool sizes do you think my problem can be solved.?
Thanks and Regards

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this is great n all but just curious on how you would know that that is the exact thing that you need to change. theres books on this kinda stuff.. ?!?!
-ps thanx for da info

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pof said:
yes, it's exactly the same in wm5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
on AKU 3.3 I had lot's of out of driver memory errors with the widcomm BT drivers. So I guess it may have a smaller page pool then the WM6 os has.
Too bad I can't bench the BT performance. But maybe I will try a bigger pagepool when the new WM6 rom comes out, see if it feels more responsive and faster then.
Thanx for this great info!

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but hermes have 64M rams, where are other rams

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pof said:
yes, it's exactly the same in wm5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried it on the new 2.11 (AKU3.3) rom.
And it works mutch better now when using the widcomm stack and browsing the net.
Although I'm not sure what speeds it up, could be the pagepool or this rom, but it works great, mutch faster then the WM6 roms.

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we can use pocket machanic to change the 3 cache settings
dont forget you have auto mode as well, i wonder how will that check out

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qooqoo said:
but hermes have 64M rams, where are other rams
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
other rams maybe to Extended_ROM??
how to change Extended_ROM size????

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philpwong said:
other rams maybe to Extended_ROM??
how to change Extended_ROM size????
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no, Extended_ROM is part of NAND flash, it's different from RAM.

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qooqoo said:
but hermes have 64M rams, where are other rams
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just think about the PC's windows OS, something like that

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clfk said:
Just think about the PC's windows OS, something like that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but i don't think so.
hard disk and flash memory are use 1k=1000b instead of 1024b, but ram don't like that. 64M of RAM do = 64 * 1024 *1024 b.

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My x01ht is
qooqoo said:
but i don't think so.
hard disk and flash memory are use 1k=1000b instead of 1024b, but ram don't like that. 64M of RAM do = 64 * 1024 *1024 b.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My x01ht is
ExtROM=10M+Pagepool=6M+Program Memory=48M

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page pool
Hello i have try a benchmark with VsBenchmark 2006 on my Hermes tytn herm 200 and wm6 LVSW 3.24.0.4 radio 1.40 + 4mo page pool.
(original is 6mo)
the result score bench is 982
test 1:950
test 2:900
test 3:1263
test 4:654
test 5:1146

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dluisao said:
Hello i have try a benchmark with VsBenchmark 2006 on my Hermes tytn herm 200 and wm6 LVSW 3.24.0.4 radio 1.40 + 4mo page pool.
(original is 6mo)
the result score bench is 982
test 1:950
test 2:900
test 3:1263
test 4:654
test 5:1146
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am writing because I have been trying to change the pagepool of LVSW 08-04 to 4mb but I can´t locate the offset location on this ROM when searching with my HEX editor. I followed the instructions posted in this forum but.... Any help would be fantastic. Thanks!
update.... sorted!!!

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christonge said:
I am writing because I have been trying to change the pagepool of LVSW 08-04 to 4mb but I can´t locate the offset location on this ROM when searching with my HEX editor. I followed the instructions posted in this forum but.... Any help would be fantastic. Thanks!
update.... sorted!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you must find the string in ascy NKKD8 at the rom in NB format and don't in NBH format.
convert your rom NBH in NB format and use ultraedit for find this string NKKD8 or in ultraedit(editor hexa) go to
at 00000000003B6C90 line the NKKD8 is there and at the line 00000000003B6F60 you must change 6000 to 4000.
(00000000003B6F60 6400 0000 A85B 0480 0000 6000 0000 0000)
4000
and at finish reconvert the NB rom to NBH with the 4000 modified.

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it seems that new wm6 rom for hermes,
Build: 17741.0.2.1
AKU: 0.2.1
CE: 5.2.1236
offset is different from other roms.
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how can i change new rom's pagepool,plz?
thanks in advance

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@qooqoo: read the first post again, follow the three easy steps under "How to find the page pool offset on Hermes ROMs?".