Date:         Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:54:34 -0400
Reply-To:     Michael Raithel <michaelraithel@WESTAT.COM>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         Michael Raithel <michaelraithel@WESTAT.COM>
Subject:      Re: 64-bit SAS: I'm confused
In-Reply-To:  <qf0c049pohu0m24pjlil17ec9mvpiq6550@4ax.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Dear SAS-L-ers,

Jay Weedon posted the following:

> I know this sounds like a silly query, but having looked at a
> bunch of web pages at sas.com I can't seem to distinguish
> when they're talking about 32-bit SAS running in a 64-bit
> environment vs 64-bit SAS running in a 64-bit environment.
>
> I've worked with SAS for Windows for a long time, but am now
> reaching a bottleneck especially in terms of available RAM.
> Since a 64bit OS supports much more RAM it seems to make
> sense to switch to 64-bit SAS on a 64-bit OS, but just can't
> decide which OSs 64-bit SAS is available on. Is there a
> 64-bit SAS for Win-64? Or Linux? If so, do I need to buy a
> different license from the 32-bit license I already have?
> I've tried discussing the matter with our SAS rep, but she
> too seems to confound the idea of 64-bit SAS with the idea of
> a 64-bit OS.
>
> She does say that my current 32-bit license is valid for
> Win-64. If there's no 64-bit SAS for Windows or Linux, is
> there any advantage to running SAS-32 on Win-64? Will it for
> instance be able to use RAM beyond 3GB?
>
> Are there any benchmarks out there comparing 32- & 64-bit performance?
>
Jay, I see that the following two documents, discuss the system
requirements for SAS under Linux in Intel Architecture and under
Itanium-based systems, respectively:

http://support.sas.com/documentation/installcenter/the_sas_system/9.1.3_
TS1M3/unx/lnx/sreq.pdf

http://support.sas.com/documentation/installcenter/the_sas_system/9.1.3_
TS1M3/unx/lix/sreq.pdf

Page 1 of each document suggests that it does run on 64-bit OS's.  I
know that this is not _THE_ answer, but it is certainly another fact
along the way.

Jay, best of luck threading through this issue!

I hope that this suggestion proves helpful now, and in the future!

Of course, all of these opinions and insights are my own, and do not
reflect those of my organization or my associates. All SAS code and/or
methodologies specified in this posting are for illustrative purposes
only and no warranty is stated or implied as to their accuracy or
applicability. People deciding to use information in this posting do so
at their own risk.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Michael A. Raithel
"The man who wrote the book on performance"
E-mail: MichaelRaithel@westat.com

Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the MVS Environment

Author: Tuning SAS Applications in the OS/390 and z/OS Environments,
Second Edition
http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=58172

Author: The Complete Guide to SAS Indexes
http://www.sas.com/apps/pubscat/bookdetails.jsp?catid=1&pc=60409

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace. - Amelia
Earhart
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++