Customize SAS EG Initialization Parameters - MEMSIZE Option

[r_behata]

Running some memory intensive programs , especially those involve hash lookups have become impossible with the default MEMSIZE option in SAS EG.

I can circumvent this limitation from the command line by passing the -MEMSIZE <n>G as an init parameter from the command line. However, I cannot get my head around for bypassing this limitation in SAS EG.

Our site has a Client Server (SAS GRID ) architecture.

Running the proc options has pointed to a path that I do not have access to :

31         proc options option=config;
32         run;

    SAS (r) Proprietary Software Release 9.4  TS1M4

 CONFIG=( /sso/sfw/sas/940M4/SASFoundation/9.4/sasv9.cfg /sso/sfw/sas/940M4/SASFoundation/9.4/nls/en/sasv9.cfg 
/sso/sfw/sas/940M4/SASFoundation/9.4/sasv9_local.cfg /sso/biconfigm4/940/Lev1/SASApp/sasv9.cfg 
/sso/biconfigm4/940/Lev1/SASApp/sasv9_usermods.cfg /sso/biconfigm4/940/Lev1/SASApp/WorkspaceServer/sasv9.cfg 
/sso/biconfigm4/940/Lev1/SASApp/WorkspaceServer/sasv9_usermods.cfg )

I have searched in the Local Drive under SASHome for .cfg files but could not find any.

Any suggestions on how to set this initialization parameter ?

Thanks,

RB

[Kurt_Bremser]

MEMSIZE is set when the server process starts, and EG has no role in that (the Object Spawner does that). You need to change such parameters in the workspace server configuration.

[r_behata]

@Kurt_Bremser Thanks for the response.

Just wondering if there is a way to bypass changing the Server side Parameters as it might update the MEMSIZE globally which would be applicable to the other instances spawned from the  Same Workspace Server, which the  Administrators might not like.

[SASKiwi]

I'm not aware of any "bypass". Increasing memsize won't necessarily mean the SAS workspace server starts using a lot more memory. Talk to your SAS administrator regarding an increase. At the end of the day memory is a more limited resource than disk space, so you may have to limit your use of hash with large datasets.

What is your current memsize setting?

[Kurt_Bremser]

If you need more memory, but do not want to change your "standard" configuration, you need to add another application server and a workspace server there with the extended memsize. Access to that server context can be limited with metadata permissions.

[Anand_V]

Hi @r_behata 

Do you have access to console login for compute servers where your code is executing? If yes, then you can navigate to your home directory on the server and create a file "sasv9.cfg" and add a parameter " -MEMSIZE xG " and save.

Launch a new SAS session and it should use the parameter from your home directory instead of the default session parameter. In this way you can use a different session memsize without changing the global parameter. I have tested this via cmd line and it works fine. try it out via EG and let know if works.

Note: If you have multiple compute nodes and home directory is not shared then you will have to set this up for all the compute nodes.

link to understand the order of precedence SAS uses for config files: https://documentation.sas.com/?docsetId=hostunx&docsetTarget=p13flc1vsrqwr8n1vutzds8rp3t0.htm&docset...

Thanks!

[r_behata]

Appreciate all the wonderful Inputs.

I have raised a service ticket with our SAS Admin team and waiting for their response on this. Will update once this Thread once I get a response.

Regards,

RB