R help - Aug 2010 - Yet another memory limit problem

Dear List,

I have read and read and still don't get why I am getting a memory issue.? I
am
using a Samsung PC running Windows 7.? I have set memory in the target field:
?"C:\Program Files (x86)\R\R-2.11.1\bin\Rgui.exe" --max-mem-size=3G

But when I try a simple plot I get:
>?? plot(mydat$Date,mydat$Time)
Error: cannot allocate vector of size 831.3 Mb
> memory.size()
[1] 2099.61
> memory.limit()
[1] 3583
> dim(mydat)
[1] 245?? 9

I would appreciate some help.? I think I set the target field correctly, both 
memory.size and memory.limit indicate I have over 2G of memory, yet I can't 
allocate 831.3Mb?? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Thanks,

Tim

Dear Tim,

Are mydat$Date and mydat$Time what you think they are? What output do you get
from str(mydat)?

HTH,

Thierry

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ir. Thierry Onkelinx
Instituut voor natuur- en bosonderzoek
team Biometrie & Kwaliteitszorg
Gaverstraat 4
9500 Geraardsbergen
Belgium

Research Institute for Nature and Forest
team Biometrics & Quality Assurance
Gaverstraat 4
9500 Geraardsbergen
Belgium

tel. + 32 54/436 185
Thierry.Onkelinx at inbo.be
www.inbo.be

To call in the statistician after the experiment is done may be no more than
asking him to perform a post-mortem examination: he may be able to say what the
experiment died of.
~ Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher

The plural of anecdote is not data.
~ Roger Brinner

The combination of some data and an aching desire for an answer does not ensure
that a reasonable answer can be extracted from a given body of data.
~ John Tukey
  
> -----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
> Van: r-help-bounces at r-project.org 
> [mailto:r-help-bounces at r-project.org] Namens Tim Clark
> Verzonden: woensdag 18 augustus 2010 11:19
> Aan: r-help at r-project.org
> Onderwerp: [R] Yet another memory limit problem
> 
> Dear List,
> 
> I have read and read and still don't get why I am getting a 
> memory issue.? I am using a Samsung PC running Windows 7.? I 
> have set memory in the target field:
> ?"C:\Program Files (x86)\R\R-2.11.1\bin\Rgui.exe"
--max-mem-size=3G
> 
> But when I try a simple plot I get:
> 
> >?? plot(mydat$Date,mydat$Time)
> Error: cannot allocate vector of size 831.3 Mb
> > memory.size()
> [1] 2099.61
> > memory.limit()
> [1] 3583
> > dim(mydat)
> [1] 245?? 9
> 
> I would appreciate some help.? I think I set the target field 
> correctly, both memory.size and memory.limit indicate I have 
> over 2G of memory, yet I can't allocate 831.3Mb?? It just 
> doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Tim
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ______________________________________________
> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
> PLEASE do read the posting guide 
> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
> 
Druk dit bericht a.u.b. niet onnodig af.
Please do not print this message unnecessarily.

Dit bericht en eventuele bijlagen geven enkel de visie van de schrijver weer 
en binden het INBO onder geen enkel beding, zolang dit bericht niet bevestigd is
door een geldig ondertekend document. The views expressed in  this message 
and any annex are purely those of the writer and may not be regarded as stating 
an official position of INBO, as long as the message is not confirmed by a duly 
signed document.

On 08/18/2010 11:19 AM, Tim Clark wrote:
> Dear List,
...
> I would appreciate some help.  I think I set the target field correctly,
both
> memory.size and memory.limit indicate I have over 2G of memory, yet I
can't
> allocate 831.3Mb?  It just doesn't make sense to me.
That shouldn't by itself cause concern. It is always the _last_
allocation that triggers the message, so it could happen due to
allocation of 3 vectors of size 800M. Straw, camel, back...

Another matter is that memory.size is the amount _used_, not amount
_available_, so you would seem to have more like 1500M left.

However, it does look odd that mydat with dimensions 245x9 should
generate an 800M memory request. As others have suggested, perhaps mydat
is not what you think it should be...

-- 
Peter Dalgaard
Center for Statistics, Copenhagen Business School
Phone: (+45)38153501
Email: pd.mes at cbs.dk  Priv: PDalgd at gmail.com