Memory Utilization
Summary
Memory Utilization is a metric used to calculate the amount of RAM used by a server instance. It is an important metric because it measures how efficiently the system is utilizing memory resources and can help identify potential bottlenecks.
The formula for calculating Memory Utilization is:
Memory Utilization = (RAM Used / RAM Total) x 100
For example, if a server instance has 8 GB of RAM and is currently using 4 GB, then its Memory Utilization would be:
Memory Utilization = (4 GB / 8 GB) x 100 = 50%
Checklist to determine how much RAM a server needs:
- Estimate the total number of users who will access the server.
- Determine the total amount of data that needs to be stored and processed.
- Determine the type of applications and services that will be running on the server.
- Research the minimum RAM requirements for the applications and services.
- Consider the amount of RAM needed for the operating system.
- Calculate the total amount of RAM needed for the server.
Types of Memory Utilization metrics
| Metric Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Memory Utilization | The percentage of memory a system is using compared to the total available memory. |
| Free Memory | The amount of unused memory available in a system. |
| Cached Memory | The amount of memory being used as a cache. |
| Buffer Memory | Memory used to temporarily store data. |
| Memory Allocation | The amount of memory that is currently allocated to processes. |
| Memory Contention | The amount of competition for memory resources among processes. |
| Memory Usage | The amount of memory being used by processes. |
| Memory Fragmentation | The amount of memory that is unusable due to fragmentation. |
| Memory Leaks | Unused memory that is not released back to the system. |
| Virtual Memory Usage | The amount of virtual memory being used by processes. |
Metrics used to measure RAM
| Metric | Type | Quantity | Result on Memory Utilization |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cache Hit Rate | Hit/Miss | % | Increases |
| Page Faults | Hard/Soft | # | Decreases |
| Free Memory | Available/Used | GB | Increases |
| Swap Usage | In/Out | GB | Decreases |
| Memory Contention | Buffer/Cache | % | Decreases |
| Virtual Memory | Allocated/Freed | GB | Decreases |
| Memory Bandwidth | Read/Write | Mbps | Increases |
| Memory Latency | Read/Write | ms | Decreases |
| Memory Throughput | Read/Write | Mbps | Increases |
| Memory Fragmentation | Internal/External | % | Decreases |
How to improve
| # | Improvement |
|---|---|
| 1 | Limit Memory Usage in Applications |
| 2 | Disable Unnecessary Services |
| 3 | Reduce Cache Size |
| 4 | Increase Swap Space |
| 5 | Increase RAM |
| 6 | Utilize Page Caching |
| 7 | Use Compression |
| 8 | Utilize Memory Pools |
| 9 | Utilize Memory Management Software |
| 10 | Monitor Memory Usage |