When it comes to high performance databases, taking advantage of a 64-bit system is a must. With the version 8.x release of our NetFlow Traffic Analyzer we have added support for a 64-bit MySQL database.
Why should I upgrade to 64-bit?
When running on a 32-bit system there are memory limitations that have to be taken into account. Typically, an Operating System can’t handle more than 4 GB of RAM and a 32-bit MySQL database is limited to ~2.5 GB of RAM. This means that if your NetFlow Analyzer server is under high load then it could cause paging to disk which takes up valuable disk I/O and slows the system down as a whole.
Upgrading to 64-bit means both the Operating System and MySQL will be able to take advantage of large amounts of memory. This means that if you’re running multiple applications on the same server each process can allocate more memory, including MySQL. This will have a direct effect on improving performance when you have a high volume of flows being collected, Flow Analytics scanning for DDoS attacks, and multiple users running reports all simultaneously.
The biggest advantage of running 64-bit is the ability to utilize large amounts of memory, so you’ll find the most benefit from upgrading your system if it’s using more than 4 GB of RAM. Plixer Support will also be able to help you optimize your MySQL memory settings to gain additional performance.
Another advantage of upgrading is having your Microsoft Exchange Mail Log Analyzer running on 64-bit MySQL.
Upgrading to 64-bit MySQL
The first thing you’re going to need is a 64-bit Operating System. Then, any version of Scrutinizer can be upgraded to v8.x and will automatically upgrade the database to 64-bit if you’re on a 64-bit Operating System. Contact Plixer Support for upgrade instructions.
Have you thought about backing up your MySQL database lately?
