31.1.1 Understanding How NSS Uses Cache on Linux

NSS manages cache buffers on Linux using methods similar to those used in other Linux file systems such as Reiser, Polyserve, and XFS, with the exception of EXT.

For file data, NSS uses the Linux cache page manager to gain access to available memory in the system. There are some limits in place so that when copying large files, NSS does not starve other user applications for memory. This is similar to the cache handling used in NetWare®.

For metadata, NSS uses kernel memory. NSS can use only a percentage of this space because other applications share this space. By default, NSS reserves a minimum buffer cache size of 30,000 4-KB buffers, which is about 120 MB of the kernel memory space. You can adjust the minimum number of buffers to be used by NSS with the MinBufferCacheSize parameter.

For a 32-bit machine, the kernel cache memory limit is 1 GB cache. Depending on what else is running, you might need to modify how much space you allocate for NSS.

For example, when running ravsui(8) for a pool verify or a pool rebuild, the utility needs contiguous space in kernel memory separate from the space allocated to the core NSS process. The larger the pool, the larger the space that is needed. On a 32-bit machine with a 1 GB limit, you might need to stop other processes temporarily to free up space so that the verify or rebuild process can run. You can optionally modify the amount of space used by the core NSS process by lowering the setting for MinBufferCacheSize to as little as 10000 4-KB buffers. When the verify or rebuild is done, you can change the setting back to its normal setting.

31.1.2 Setting the Minimum Number of Cache Buffers to Use for Kernel Memory