How To Deal With RAM:FILE FULL Messages
SUMMARY:
Users that share and copy the same T:LAN configuration file between a large number of units might occasionally run into RAM:FILE FULL log messages. It indicates that no further configuration changes can be stored in this T:LAN unit unless the user takes remedial action to free up some space in the Non-Volatile Configuration Memory (NVCM).
BACKGROUND:
Customers seem to copy a small number of preset configuration files from unit to unit. Over the years, this may lead to an accumulation of legacy entries. Although the T:LAN OS does include code to remove older entries, that code is specifically designed to work only on:
- deprecated entries, or
- entries that have been replaced with newer versions with updated layouts.
This leaves behind a number of entries that have been in use at one time or another but may no longer be in use today. Especially if customers rarely upgrade their T:LAN OS firmware, or skip a large numbers of OS builds at once, thereby bypassing most of the built-in tools that would have taken care of the older entries automatically.
Starting with the Remote Commander Client Build 642 (RCC 3.11.0.642), Optima now provides a handy utility to deal with the RAM:FILE FULL situations.
These utility functions are built right into RCC. They allow the user to ‘slim down’ any T:LAN Configuration File (*.TCF).
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
Select the T:LAN Configuration File Cleaner option from the TOOLS MENU:
This will bring up the T:LAN Configuration File Cleaner dialog window:
Either copy & paste the file location of the T:LAN Configuration File you wish to clean-up, or click on the button to the right of the input box. Select the proper TCF file using the file selector:
Once the proper file has been loaded, observe the Current File/Free Space counter on the right:
You can now proceed to either manually clear out:
- all recognized legacy entries,
- pick out only a few select entries to be cleared, or
- use the predefined ‘RARELY USED‘ selection criteria, or
- use the predefined ‘SELDOM USED‘ selection criteria.
First, to select all listed entries, click on the check-box labelled ‘All‘:
To select/deselect all shown entries. Alternatively, you can also just pick individual entries from the list as required.
Or click on the ‘RARELY USED‘ button to clear out rarely used entries:
Or click on the ‘SELDOM USED‘ button to clear out entries that are seldom used:
You can always manually select or deselect any listed entry as you see fit.
Make sure to remove the check mark from any entry that your use case might still require.
Then click on the ‘CLEAN‘ button on the lower right:
This will bring up the last selector dialog:
Here you can choose whether or not the program will keep a backup copy of the original file for safety/documentation purposes (Optima recommended) or just overwrite the original TCF file with the cleaned up version.
At last, re-apply the modified file to the corresponding T:LAN unit(s).