Use the following guidelines to determine Data Collector Server requirements.
Supported Operating Systems
APTARE highly recommends installing the Data Collector on a virtual machine (VM). The following systems are supported for only 64-bit platforms and require JRE 1.7:
• Microsoft Windows Server 2008
• Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (requires .NET Framework 3.5)
• Red Hat Linux Enterprise Linux 5
• Red Hat Linux Enterprise Linux 6
• Oracle Enterprise Linux 6
• SUSE Linux Enterprise 11
• CentOS 5
• Solaris 9, 10, and 11 (SPARC only) - For Symantec NetBackup data collection only
Note: .NET Framework 4 is installed by default with Windows Server 2012. You must explicitly install .NET Framework 3.5 to support the WMI Proxy Service installation. You do not need to uninstall .NET Framework 4.
Memory and CPU Guidelines
Use the following table as a guide for determining memory and CPU requirements on the Data Collector Server.
Small/Medium Data Collector Servers | Small/Medium Data Collector Criteria |
• 2 CPUs • Minimum 8 GB | • < 5 storage arrays and • < 300 hosts |
Large Data Collector Servers * | Large Data Collector Criteria |
• 2 or more CPUs • Minimum 16 GB of memory | • 5 or more storage arrays or • 300 hosts or more |
Note: *For Large Data Collector Servers, contact APTARE Technical Sales to assess requirements for your specific environment.
Factors Impacting Performance and Memory Requirements
Because every environment has a unique set of resources, configured and tuned specifically for that environment,
there is no one size fits all formula. Several factors can impact performance and memory requirements:
• Number of active Data Collector Policies
• Number of hosts and active probes per host
• Number and types of storage arrays
• Number of LUNs
• Polling frequency and number of devices polled
• Amount of data transmitted
• Performance of array device managers
Note: Contact APTARE Global Support Services for tuning advice if you find that memory resources are over-taxed.
Sample Use Case
For an environment that has five array collection policies and 5,000+ hosts with all probes except File Analytics enabled, APTARE recommends 16 GB of memory. While the above factors influence memory requirements, as a rule of thumb, 1.5 to 2 GB is recommended per Data Collection policy.
Multiple Data Collector Guidelines
Typically, a single Data Collector server executing policies for various arrays and host resources will suffice for most environments. With the above factors in mind, multiple Data Collector instances may be recommended if your environment has:
• More than 3,000 hosts
• More than 30 storage arrays
Disk Space Guidelines
Use the following table as a guide for disk space recommendations for Data Collector Servers:
Windows 2008 Baseline for Data Collector Servers*
• Minimum: 10 GB
• Recommended: 40 GB or more
Note: Servers with 16+ GB of RAM require additional disk space for paging, etc.
Disk Space for APTARE Data Collection - Not including File Analytics
• Recommended: 20 GB
Note: Disk space required under the APTARE directory
Disk Space for APTARE Data Collection - Including File Analytics
• Recommended: 50 GB
Note: Disk space required under the APTARE directory