Viavi Apex Enterprise G3-APEX-ENT-32T, User Manual

Page: 312 / 380

How a probe uses RAM
312 GigaStor (23 Feb 2018) — Archive/Non-authoritative version
Running Observer with reserved memory
Reserved memory helps Observer run more efficiently by dedicating memory for
its exclusive use.
Prerequisite(s):
♦
Observer Expert
♦
Observer Suite
♦
Expert Probe software
♦
Multi Probe software
Observer uses reserved memory for packet capture and the statistics queue
buffer. It is highly-recommended that you use reserved memory. (GigaStor
appliances running Observer are preconfigured this way.) You must determine
how you want Observer to be configured for your system.
Caution: Never change the reserved memory settings of VIAVI hardware
unless VIAVI instructs you do so. Reserved memory settings should only
be modified on non-VIAVI hardware, such as a desktop computer running
Observer.
Tip! If you need more RAM for the statistics queue buffer, you may need
to lower the amount of RAM dedicated to packet capture so that it is freed
and available to add to the statistics queue.
Reserving memory allows Observer to allocate RAM for its exclusive use. This
ensures that Observer has the necessary memory to store packets for statistical
analysis, or for capturing large amounts of data for decoding. The more memory
you reserve for Observer, the larger the packet capture and statistical queue
buffers can be.
If the memory buffer for the statistics queue buffer is too small, you may end up
with inaccurate statistical data because some data may get pushed out before it
can be processed. Observer processes packets on a first-in, first out (FIFO) basis,
so it is important that the buffer be large enough to allow for processing.
When reserving RAM for Observer you are taking RAM away from the operating
system. Table 10 (page 312) shows how much memory is required by the
operating system. Anything beyond this amount may be reserved for Observer.
Table 10. Reserved memory requirements
Operating
System
RAM required for the operating system
64-bit with less
than 4 GB RAM
800 MB
64-bit with 4 GB
RAM
4 GB
1
64-bit with 6+ GB
RAM
4 GB
32-bit
2
256 MB (although 400+ MB is recommended)
1.
Because of how 64-bit Windows loads its drivers when 4 GB of RAM is installed all 4 GB is used
by Windows. This is sometimes referred to as the BIOS memory hole and means you cannot reserve