Overview

This article provides relevant information to keep in mind when upgrading 2061, 4010, and early 4061 models to ExOS 7.4.3 or later.

Information

Exinda's ExOS version 7.4.3 and above have increased memory consumption that can slow the system and lead to more dramatic symptoms, such as NIC (Network Interface Card) flapping and unexpected shutdowns. This firmware will run on devices with at least 4GB of RAM. The RAM usage of an appliance depends, partially, on the traffic that passes through the network and it monitors. The base RAM use in versions 7.4.3 and 7.4.4 is higher than in earlier versions, which is why Exinda appliances with a high amount of traffic require more memory to operate correctly. However, as long as the load is not too high, it is still possible for systems with 4GB, in some instances with specific loads, to run versions 7.4.3 and 7.4.4.

If the appliance is already running an earlier version of 7.x firmware (versions 7.0.0 through 7.4.2), make sure to check the RAM and swap usage on the device over the past 30 days; this can be done by navigating to Monitor > System, on the RAM Usage and Swap Usage tabs.

• If it is holding steady at less than 75% RAM used with minimal or no swap usage (less than 10%), it is possible to upgrade to the latest firmware.
• If it is using more than 75% RAM, or it is showing a continual rise in RAM or swap usage, do not upgrade to the latest firmware.

If the appliance is running a version of the 6.x firmware, upgrade to version 7.4.2 and monitor the RAM and swap usage for two weeks:

• If the RAM/swap usage does not hold steady and keeps rising, do not upgrade to 7.4.3 or later.
• If the RAM/swap usage holds steady as mentioned above, an upgrade is possible.

The major differences in version 7.x and 6.x is the increased memory footprint for specific processes, e.g., Java, WAN Memory, Acceleration daemons, etc.; this causes version 7 to use more memory than version 6 in general. With the added load of Acceleration and Edge Cache, memory usage increases even more; this is the main reason why devices with 4GB RAM on version 7.x.x face paging alerts or NIC flaps, amongst other issues, caused by high memory usage. 4061 models are Dell devices, and a memory upgrade is easily possible. If you are looking to upgrade RAM on older hardware: 

For the 4061R1 platform (shipped initially with 2GB RAM and 250GB HDD in 2010), order Crucial part # CT1152100:

• Crucial 8GB Kit (2 X 4GB) PC3-8500 DDR3-1066MHz ECC Unbuffered CL7 240-Pin DIMM Memory Mfr P/N CT1152099.

For the 4061R2 platform (shipped initially with 4GB RAM and 500GB HDD in 2011), order one or two Crucial part # CT2937280: 

• Crucial 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB) DDR3L-1600 ECC UDIMM - DDR3L PC3L-12800 CL=11 Unbuffered  ECC DDR3L-1600  1.35V 1024Meg x 72.

 For more information, refer to Exinda 4061 Compatible RAM Parts. For 2061 and 4010 models, check the current memory usage and upgrade accordingly. Please contact Exinda Support for any additional information.