I need to know how to calculate the ideal amount of cache to support basic server operations.
Articles and Tips: qna
01 Jul 1996
Q.
Dear Ab-end: I've been told that the key to NetWare optimization is to add more memory. But before adding more RAM, I need to know how to calculate the ideal amount of cache to support basic server operations.
--Where's the Cache?
A.
Dear Cache: You're right, cache sizing is often the most beneficial optimization process you can perform on NetWare servers. The trick is in determining the right amount of cache for a particular server.
Unfortunately, the server memory calculations included in the NetWare 3 and 4 documentation are outdated and in some instances produce wildly incorrect requirements. To remedy the incorrect documentation, Novell Research has published two procedures that remedy the incorrect documentation and shed new light on NetWare RAM requirements.
The first procedure is a memory calculation worksheet that correctly estimated RAM requirements for new servers. The worksheet incorporates factors such as the server's volume parameters, NOS features, and the number of users to produce a total memory requirement for the server. If you're building a server with third party NLMs and additional name spaces, there is an option where you can add additional RAM requirements for these services.
When you're done, you simply round the resulting estimate up to the server's nearest memory configuration and install that much RAM in the server. You can find the worksheet in the "Calculating Memory Requirements for NetWare 3 and 4," Application Note, published in January 1995. In addition, SMEM.EXE, an automated version of the worksheet, is available in the NOVUSER forum of NetWire on CompuServe.
The second procedure is cache tuning for existing NetWare 4 servers. Since every server supports a different set of users and applications, the workload they produce can have significant effects on the server's cache. In some cases, the estimate you derive from the worksheet described above can be off by several megabytes. This tuning procedure allows you to monitor the NetWare LRU Sitting Time Statistic entry found in the MONITOR.NLM utility and can help you tune the server's cache for its specific production environment. You can find this procedure documented in the "Tuning Cache with the NetWare 4 LRU Sitting Time Statistic" Application Note, published in March 1995.
* Originally published in Novell AppNotes
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The origin of this information may be internal or external to Novell. While Novell makes all reasonable efforts to verify this information, Novell does not make explicit or implied claims to its validity.