Server Core–How to Properly Move the Swap File

We have posted on this subject before though the pieces of the puzzle were a bit incoherent due to the comments providing the proper methodology and eventually a link to Sander Berkouwer’s blog post with up to date information.

• MPECS Inc. Blog: Server Core - From Scratch to Hyper-V Production
• MPECS Inc. Blog: Server Core - Move that Swap/Page File - WMI Error Code = 0x80041017

As is indicated in the second blog post’s comments we find the following methodology:

1. Create the dedicated partition after the OS partition using DiskPart.
• We install Server Core to a 50GB partition and FULL to a 75GB partition.
• We use RAM * 2.5 as a rule.
• For larger GB where only the Hyper-V Role is running then RAM * 1.
• We assign the letter S:
2. wmic computersystem where name=”MyCoreServer” set AutomaticManagedPagefile=False
3. wmic.exe pagefileset create name="S:\pagefile.sys"
4. wmic.exe pagefileset where name="S:\\pagefile.sys" set InitialSize=12288,MaximumSize=32768
• Note the double slash in the file path.
5. wmic.exe pagefileset where name="C:\\pagefile.sys" delete
6. shutdown –r –t 0 –f

As per Sander we can check the registry for the settings as well:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Some additional reading:

• Sander Berkouwer’s Blog: Page files in Server Core
• Sander’s blog has been a constant source of _great_ information for all things Server Core and Hyper-V among others.
• Sander Berkouwer’s Twitter Feed
• Microsoft Support: KB979386: You receive an error message after you put the page file on another drive other than the drive C in a guest operating system.
• A VM’s Swap File cannot be placed on a VHD that is attached to the VM via Hyper-V SCSI bus.

Philip Elder
MPECS Inc.
Microsoft Small Business Specialists
Co-Author: SBS 2008 Blueprint Book

*Our original iMac was stolen (previous blog post). We now have a new MacBook Pro courtesy of Vlad Mazek, owner of OWN.