Resource Pooling Part 2: The Physics of Memory Overcommit (Ballooning, Compression, and Swap Failure)
When Overcommit Works vs. Explodes Overcommitting memory isn’t some clever trick to magically create free RAM. It’s more like taking out a high-interest loan from your hypervisor—you’ll pay for it sooner or later. Picture a typical enterprise setup: 26 hosts split into two clusters, mostly Dell R740s. With a 17:1 VM-to-host ratio, CPU scheduling usually…