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P4 Server Administration Documentation | 2025.1

# Disk space allocation

Disk space usage by P4 Server depends on these factors:

Factor | Description
--- | ---
Number and size of client workspaces Directories on your machine where you work on file revisions that are managed by P4 Server. | The size of the files that your users need in their client workspaces at any one time.
Size of server database of metadata Information that P4 Server maintains, such as who created file revisions in the depot, whether the file is a 'lazy copy,, the current state of client workspaces, protections, groups, users, labels, streams, and branches. Metadata is stored in the server database and is separate from the 'archive files' that users submit from their client workspace into the depot. | Approximately 0.5 kilobytes per user per file. For example, a system with 10,000 files and 50 users initially requires 250 MB of disk space for the database. However, the database grows larger over time because the histories of the individual files grows over time. The `db.have` file holds the list of files opened in client workspaces. This file tends to grow more rapidly than other files in the database. If you are experiencing issues related to the size of your `db.have` file and are unable to quickly switch to a server with adequate support for large files, consider deleting unused client workspace specifications and reducing the scope of client workspace views.
Size of server’s archive of versioned files Source files stored in the depot, including one or more revisions to each file. Also known as archive files, archives, and depot files. Versioned files typically use the naming convention 'filename,v' or '1.changelist.gz'. | The size of the server’s archive of versioned files depends on the sizes of the original files stored and grows as revisions are added. Allocate sufficient space in your `P4ROOT` directory to hold at least three times the size of your users' present collection of versioned files, plus an additional 0.5KB per user per file to hold the database files that store the list of depot files, file status, and file revision histories.
Size and number of log files | See Configure logging

See also Monitor disk space usage.

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