CPU and Memory Utilization

[MNF123]

I just read several community posts regarding CPU or Memory utilization, where the latest information is from 2022. Currently, do i still have to contact Meraki Support to get information about CPU and/or Memory utilization of my devices?

[DarrenOC]

No!  You can find this information in your dashboard under Organisation > Summary Report.

Select the Network within which your devices reside

[MNF123]

Sorry Darren, what i mean by device utilization is "CPU and/or Memory Utilization". Not the "Device Utilization" graph in the Summary Report, sorry for the confusion.

[DarrenOC]

Aha - I’ve not seen those within the dashboard so they must still be ‘hidden’.

[GreenMan]

I'll try to explain some of the the thinking behind this  (my words, btw);   people usually want to see these specifics for a reason - they want to know if the box is being over-worked in some way.   Just having the raw numbers doesn't really tell you, because whether a value for either or both is 'good', 'bad' or somewhere in-between requires a whole load of context - particularly with a multi-function box like an MX.  And if a box is low on memory or CPU is maxed, you then immediately want to work out why.   These things are quite complex and we don't expect customers to do all this - with Meraki simplicity is number one.   This is where the Meraki Support team provides their expertise - and why you have 365-day, 24-hour access to them.   Some of this expertise also goes into the algorithm that produces the device utilisation via Summary reports, to at least give you a starting point.

[alemabrahao]

I partially agree with you, but have you ever thought that we often don't want to always depend on support?

[GreenMan]

Indeed - and kudos for your enquiring mind!   😀

I guess what I'm saying is;   if these parameters are challenged, you'll almost certainly end up wth Support anyway, so why not take advantage of their expertise early on?   It should give you time back...

While digging around in the weeds of this stuff can be really interesting, my guess is that most businesses would argue they could make better use of your time and expertise with other things.   (?)

[alemabrahao]

Yes, I totally agree, we often don't want to waste time on something that support could easily resolve.

But like any other technology professional, we often like to get our hands dirty to solve a certain problem (which tends to be very rewarding and relaxing). 😇

[GreenMan]

Rewarding and relaxing...    when you can fix it!    If not, maybe not so much   😂

[alemabrahao]

😂

[DarrenOC]

I guess this is the pay-off for the level of simplicity we have come to expect with Meraki.  If we want to know CPU and what processes are hogging CPU then we probably want to be looking at Catalyst.