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MiniM Knowledge Base | Jan 10, 2012

Difference between MiniM x86 and MiniM x64

This article describes diferences between MiniM x86 and MiniM x64, and first steps need to be known to choose MiniM architecture.

Version x86 denote 32 bit edition and x64 denote 64 bit edition for x64 architecture. Architecture x64 have several names - x64, x86-64, amd64, em64t and others, see article in Wikipedia.

Main things to be known to choose MiniM installer, is that the 64 bit architectures exists in two ways - x64 and IA64, and second was intended for Intel Itanium and compatible processors. MiniM x64 will not work on Intel Itanium processors.

MiniM now did not ported to IA64 architecture, and this seems inappropriate, becouse mainstream software and hardware vendors, like as Microsoft, have not plans to support this architecture in the future.

Both versions, MiniM x86 and MiniM x64, may be run on Windows x64, becouse Windows x64 supports x86 process execution.

MiniM x86 and MiniM x64 editiona have different installers, and administrator must choose appropriate architecture.

MiniM x64 installer check on start Windows architecture, and MiniM x86 does not, and installs MiniM x86 on both Windows edition.

Both MiniM versions have different server-part architecture and the same client parts. Client utilities does not requires big memory or special processor possibilities. Client utilities can work with both MiniM editions.

MiniM x64 server part have not limits for the following shared server memory areas:

  • Locks
  • Globals cache
  • Journal cache

Unlike of MiniM x86 edition, which apply tothis values limits from top and bottom to provide server stability, MiniM x64 does not apply top limits to this values.

One of the most important difference between x86 and x64 versions is that the one cannot use ZDLL and ZDEVICE from other and vice versa. MiniM x86 and MiniM x64 requires different dll compiled to appropriate architecture or changes to equivalent. No any way to use x86 dll in x64 process without recompilation.

MiniM x64 can be installed over available MiniM x86 instance and vice versa. Both MiniM versions are fully compatible by data file formats, routine bytecode and data export. All available MUMPS applications may be imported into MiniM x64 without any changes including pure bytecode. Note that if you install MiniM x64 over available MiniM x86, you must also reinstall all used ZDLL and ZDEVICE modules for x64 architecture.

Some advantages may be aquired on migration to MiniM x64:

  • Bigger cache, gigabytes.
  • x64 architecture have much advanced register architecture of processor, so applications may work near of 10% faster than the same applications with x86 architecture.

On choosing MiniM installer administrator must attend architecture notation. If processor architecture was not specified, or contains 32, or x86, it is installer or module or any other for x86 architecture. If installer name contains x64 or amd64, this is installer of x64 architecture application.

Both MiniM x86 and MiniM x64 editions use the same license keys, and license price does not depend on processor architecture of MiniM Satabase Server.

If developer need to determine processor architecture of currently executed MiniM instance, there must be used $ZVERSION system variable.

Eugene Karataev
support@minimdb.com


Copyright (C) Eugene Karataev
Info Support