Using node files

Describes a storage feature for nodes of the search.

On difficult models that generate a great number of nodes in the tree, the amount of available memory for node storage can become a limiting factor. Storage of node files can be an effective technique which uses disk space to augment RAM, at little or no penalty in terms of solution speed.

The node-file storage-feature enables you to store some parts of the branch & cut tree in files while the branch & cut algorithm is being applied. If you use this feature, CPLEX will be able to explore more nodes within a smaller amount of computer memory. This feature includes several options to reduce the use of physical memory, and it entails a very small increase in runtime. Node-file storage as managed by CPLEX itself offers a much better option in terms of memory use and performance time than relying on swap space as managed by your operating system in this context.

For more about the parameters controlling node files, see Use node files for storage.