handles and threads

Whats the difference between handles and threads ?
Also in the performance tab in Task manager , can someone explain the
meanings of each of those different values captured under totals, commit
charge, kernel memory and physical memory
Thanks
A handle is a reference to something... Sometimes it may be a reference to
a file, or an object..... Perhaps you wish to open a file and the file open
gives you a handle to the file... ( a reference to it) which you store in a
variable, and use the variable to reference the file for reading/writing.
etc.
A thread is an individually schedulable piece of work... A program( or
process) always has at least one thread. A program ( like SQL) may fire off
many threads, which work co-operatively or independently. This is called
multi-threading... When a program has multiple users ( like SQL),
multi-threading allows mulitple users to get work done at the same time...
A similar example might be a single lane road going up a mountain, with an
18 wheeler at the front of the line... No one can make more progress than
the 18 wheeler... If there were multiple lanes on the road ( equivalent to
multiple threads in an application), the others would not be blocked or
slowed down by the 18 wheeler...
Although someone else might do a better job on the task manager part... I'll
give it a stab..
Physical memory is the actual physical memory on the computer... Windows
however can act as if there were more memory available than what is
physically on the box (virtual memory). How much virtual memory is used ( I
beleive) is commit charge... Kernel memory is how much memory the OS is
using.
If you run Task Manager, select help, and on the search tab type "commit
charge". You will be taken to a window that has a short description of the
meanings as well.
Wayne Snyder, MCDBA, SQL Server MVP
Mariner, Charlotte, NC
www.mariner-usa.com
(Please respond only to the newsgroups.)
I support the Professional Association of SQL Server (PASS) and it's
community of SQL Server professionals.
www.sqlpass.org
"Hassan" <fatima_ja@.hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ekX1i35cEHA.3792@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> Whats the difference between handles and threads ?
> Also in the performance tab in Task manager , can someone explain the
> meanings of each of those different values captured under totals, commit
> charge, kernel memory and physical memory
> Thanks
>