64-bit OS and trading software support

[risk1]

Hi

With Windows 7's imminent launch, now seems an appropriate time to switching to a 64-bit operating system to overcome the 32-bit OS 4GB RAM limitation.

Could fellow ET members with first-experience using X Trader, CQG, TWS, NinjaTrader, etc on 64-bit Windows (XP or Vista) or a Linux distro comment on such programs' performance and reliability on a 64-bit OS?

Thanks!

 

[NetTecture]

Quote from risk1:

Hi

With Windows 7's imminent launch, now seems an appropriate time to switching to a 64-bit operating system to overcome the 32-bit OS 4GB RAM limitation.

Could fellow ET members with first-experience using X Trader, CQG, TWS, NinjaTrader, etc on 64-bit Windows (XP or Vista) or a Linux distro comment on such programs' performance and reliability on a 64-bit OS?

Thanks!

NT: Works on WIn7 64 bit enterprise like a charm. Still 32 bit. V7 will allow starting 64 bit mode, UNLESS.... the connector loads 32 bit code, which at the moment means: Zen-Fire / RIthmic is 32 bit at the moment.

Funny how basically the broker side so far ignores 64 bit. I work on my own trading system, and i went / go through great lengths thanks to this - the connector being started with a separate program and connecting with the main system through named pipes. Advantage? Simple.... the trading system runs in a 64 bit address space, the connector for Zen-Fire starts the Wrapper32 to load the dll... which runs in a separate 32 bit address space Another advantage is that a restart of the trading system means no data loss on the connector (it buffers the data). Disadvantage? Well, the incoming data from the network is parsed, repacked and promptly serialized again... some overhead ;(

This core problem will be with a lof of interfaces. Basically, one can not load 32 bit dll's into 64 bit address space... and the "size" of the address space is a compiler switch. Unless he brokers get into providing 64 bit interface assemblies (OR pure .net assemblies that are processor independant).... this means a limit for the analysing software

That said, running 32 bit software on 64 bit systems is painless

As a sidenote to the "original answer" - I see quite a lot of use for more than 2gb that a 32 bit address space can normally have. A lot