Solaris Memory Pages Test

A memory page is a fixed-length block of memory used by an operating system to manage and organize physical and virtual memory. When physical memory is full, the system uses page replacement algorithms to decide which pages to move out of memory to make room for new ones.

This test monitors the memory usage of the target Solaris server and reports the percentage of memory used by each usage type/subtype in the server. Using this test, administrators will be aware of abnormal memory utilization or potential resource contentions.

Target of the test : A Solaris server

Agent deploying the test : An internal agent

Outputs of the test : One set of results for each usage type/sub type in the Solaris server.

Configurable parameters for the test
Parameter	Description
Test Period	How often should the test be executed.
Host	The host for which the test is to be configured.
Use Sudo	By default, the Use Sudo parameter is set to No. This indicates that, by default, this test will report the health of volume group by executing the vgdisplay –v command. However, in some highly secure environments, the eG agent install user may not have the permissions to execute this command directly. In such cases, do the following: Edit the sudoers file on the target host and append an entry of the following format to it: <eG_agent_install_user> ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: <Command> For instance, if the eG agent install user is eguser, then the entries in the sudoers file should be: eguser ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: vgdisplay -v Finally, save the file. Then, when configuring the test using the eG admin interface, set the Use Sudo parameter to Yes. This will enable the eG agent to execute the sudo vgdisplay -v command to retrieve the desired metrics.
Sudo Path	This parameter is relevant only when the use sudo parameter is set to ‘Yes’. By default, the Sudo Path is set to none. This implies that the sudo command is in its default location – i.e., in the /usr/bin or /usr/sbin folder of the target Solaris server. In this case, the eG agent automatically runs the vgdisplay -v command with sudo from its default location, once the use sudo flag is set to Yes. However, if the sudo command is available in a different location in your environment, you will have to explicitly specify the full path to the sudo command in the Sudo Path text box to enable the eG agent to run the sudo command.

Measurements made by the test
Measurement	Description	Measurement Unit	Interpretation
Pages	Indicates the number of memory pages associated with this usage type.	Number
Memory used	Indicates the amount of memory used in this usage type.	MB	Ideally, the value of this measure should be low. While sporadic spikes in memory usage could be caused by one/more rogue processes on the Solaris server, a consistent increase in this value could be a cause for some serious concern, as it indicates a gradual, but steady erosion of valuable memory resources. If this unhealthy trend is not repaired soon, it could severely hamper the server's performance, causing anything from a slowdown to a complete system meltdown.
Memory usage	Indicates the percentage of memory used in this usage type.	Percent