Incorrect utilization reported for Physical Memory volumes on Linux machines

The physical memory usage on a Linux server is being reported incorrectly because cached and buffered memory, which should be considered free, is counted as used. 

Memory calculation uses the following formula to determine used memory:

Memory Used = MemTotal - MemFree

When you select the option to treat cached memory as free, memory calculation uses the following formula to determine used memory:

Memory Used = MemTotal - MemFree - Buffers - Cached

• Linux servers monitored by SolarWinds Agents
• SolarWinds Platform Web Console access with administrator privileges

This issue occurs because the cached and buffered memory is counted as used instead of being considered free.  

This issue is addressed in 2026.1. Consider upgrading your environment. If you can't upgrade, adjust the configuration as outlined below.

Starting in SolarWinds Platform 2025.1 and above, customers can choose to configure if cached memory to be considered as free.  By default, cached and buffered memory is considered used memory.  To change this behavior, please perform the steps below:

1. Log in to the SolarWinds Platform Web Console using an administrator account.
2. Navigate to Advanced Settings. See Access the Advanced Configuration settings in the SolarWinds Platform Web Console.
   To access advanced settings, append the following to the hostname/IP address of your deployment in the browser: /Orion/Admin/AdvancedConfiguration/Global.aspx
3. On the Global tab, search for the setting named TreatCacheAsFree.
4. Select the checkbox for TreatCacheAsFree and save your changes.

Cached and buffered memory is now considered to be free. Physical memory usage on the Linux server is reported correctly.