Swap space is the space on the physical disk that is used when primary memory (RAM) is full. Although swap space is used in sync with RAM, it is not a replacement for RAM. It is suggested to have 2 GB of swap space available for Vertica. Additionally, Vertica performs well when swap-space-related files and Vertica data files are configured to store on different physical disks.

Dynamic CPU frequency scaling, or CPU throttling, is where the system automatically adjusts the frequency of the microprocessor dynamically. The clear advantage of this technique is that it conserves energy and reduces the heat generated. It is believed that CPU frequency scaling reduces the number of instructions a processor can issue. Additional theories state that when frequency scaling is enabled, the CPU doesn't come to full throttle promptly. Hence, it is best that dynamic CPU frequency scaling is disabled. CPU frequency scaling can be disabled from Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). Please note that different hardware might have different settings to disable CPU frequency scaling.

It is suggested to keep a buffer of 20-30 percent of disk space per node. Vertica uses buffer space to store temporary data, which is data coming from the merge out operations, hash joins, and sorts, and data arising from managing nodes in the cluster.