Apparatus, system, and method for memory configuration analysis

1. An apparatus comprising:

a classification module that determines an overall performance of an array of members that are memory devices in a computer memory, the array being reconfigurable by replacing a member of the array and by moving a member within the array;

a counting module that takes a count of members of the array that have an individual performance capability that varies in a selected direction from the overall performance of the array; and

a comparison module that issues a memory configuration warning advising a reconfiguration of the array if the count crosses a predetermined threshold,

wherein the classification module, the counting module, and the comparison module comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code stored on one or more computer-readable storage devices.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined percentage, between 30% and 70% inclusive, for comparison with the count, as qualified by the individual performance capability, divided by an unqualified count of members of the array.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the overall performance has a substantially inverse relationship with a highest quantity of members of a subset of the array and a substantially direct relationship with the individual performance capability of the members.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein performance is determined on the basis of one or more of frequency, bandwidth, access time, and latency.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the overall performance and the individual performance capability belong to one of a plurality of performance classes.

6. A system comprising:

a computer having one or more processors and having a computer memory comprising an array of members that are memory devices, the array being reconfigurable by replacing a member of the array and by moving a member within the array;

a classification module that determines overall performance of the array;

a counting module that takes a count of members of the array that have an individual performance capability that varies in a selected direction from the overall performance of the array;

a comparison module that issues a memory configuration warning advising a reconfiguration of the array if the count crosses a predetermined threshold; and

a control module that activates the classification module, the counting module, and the comparison module to analyze the configuration of the array,

wherein the classification module, the counting module, the comparison module, and the control module comprise one or more of logic hardware and executable code, the executable code executable on the processor and stored in one or more of the array of memory devices and another memory device in the computer memory.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined percentage, between 30% and 70% inclusive, for comparison with the count, as qualified by the individual performance capability, divided by an unqualified count of members of the array.

8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the overall performance has a substantially inverse relationship with a highest quantity of members of a subset of the array and a substantially direct relationship with the individual performance capability of the members.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein one or more of the subsets of the array are associated with each of the one or more processors.

10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the individual performance capability of the memory device is determined on the basis of one or more of rank, capacity, speed, type, and depth.

11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the memory device comprises a dual in-line memory module (“DIMM”) and the subset comprises a channel.

12. The system of claim 6 , wherein the overall performance and the individual performance capability belong to one of a plurality of performance classes.

13. A computer program product comprising one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage devices having computer usable program code executable to perform operations, the operations of the computer program product comprising:

determining an overall performance of an array of members that are memory devices in a computer memory, the array being reconfigurable by replacing a member of the array and by moving a member within the array;

taking a count of members of the array that have an individual performance capability that varies in a selected direction from the overall performance of the array; and

issuing a memory configuration warning advising a reconfiguration of the array if the count crosses a predetermined threshold.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined percentage, between 30% and 70% inclusive, for comparison with the count, as qualified by the individual performance capability, divided by an unqualified count of members of the array.

15. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the overall performance has a substantially inverse relationship with a highest quantity of members of a subset of the array and a substantially direct relationship with the individual performance capability of the members.

16. The computer program product of claim 13 , further comprising the operations of:

receiving a reconfiguration of the array in response to the memory configuration warning; and

repeating the operations of determining, taking a count, and issuing a memory configuration warning to ascertain whether the memory configuration warning was eliminated by the reconfiguration.

17. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the overall performance and the individual performance capability belong to one of a plurality of performance classes.

18. A data-processing machine-implemented method comprising the steps of:

determining an overall performance of an array of members that are memory devices in a computer memory, the array being reconfigurable by replacing a member of the array and by moving a member within the array;

taking a count of members of the array that have an individual performance capability that varies in a selected direction from the overall performance of the array; and

issuing a memory configuration warning advising a reconfiguration of the array if the count crosses a predetermined threshold.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises a predetermined percentage, between 30% and 70% inclusive, for comparison with the count, as qualified by the individual performance capability, divided by an unqualified count of members of the array.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the predetermined percentage is between 45% and 70% inclusive.

21. The method of claim 18 , wherein the overall performance has a substantially inverse relationship with a highest quantity of members of a subset of the array and a substantially direct relationship with the individual performance capability of the members.

22. The method of claim 21 , further comprising the steps of:

receiving a reconfiguration of the array in response to the memory configuration warning; and

repeating the steps of determining, taking a count, and issuing a memory configuration warning to ascertain whether the memory configuration warning was eliminated by the reconfiguration.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the reconfiguration comprises replacing a member of the array with a member having a different individual performance capability.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the reconfiguration comprises moving a member from a subset of the array to another subset of the array.

25. The method of claim 18 , wherein the overall performance and the individual performance capability belong to one of a plurality of performance classes.