Why Can't I Assign More Than 4 GB RAM to My VM? The Answer May Surprise You
  

George Fady Lv2Posted 2026-Jul-15 21:56

Why Can't I Assign More Than 4 GB RAM to My VM? The Answer May Surprise You
A customer recently reported an interesting issue.
Their server had:

  • 32 GB Physical RAM

  • Memory Overcommitment increased to 140%

Yet every virtual machine was still limited to 4 GB RAM.
Naturally, the first thought was that it was a memory configuration problem.
It wasn't.
The Real Root Cause
The environment was running with an HCI Trial License.
The trial edition limits each authorized VM to a maximum of 4 GB RAM.
This means that:

  • Increasing Memory Overcommitment will not remove the limitation.

  • Having more physical memory will not remove the limitation.

  • The limitation is enforced by the license, not by the hardware or BIOS.

The solution is straightforward:

  • Apply a test license or a formal license.

  • Once the license is updated, the memory limitation is removed (assuming sufficient host resources are available).

Another Important Point
After increasing the Memory Overcommitment Ratio, the customer received an error stating:
"Only 7.64 GB computational memory is available while the VM requires 8.27 GB."
This is a different issue.
It simply means the host doesn't currently have enough available memory after accounting for:

  • HCI system services

  • Virtual networking

  • Running VMs

  • Reserved memory

This error is not related to the 4 GB license restriction.
Key Takeaway
Before spending time troubleshooting CPU, memory, or BIOS settings, always check the license type.
Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one.
Has anyone else encountered licensing-related limitations in Sangfor HCI? I'd be interested to hear your experience.

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Humayun Ahmed Lv4Posted 2026-Jul-16 12:49
  
Thanks to share!
Sheikh_Shani Lv3Posted 2026-Jul-16 13:55
  
Thanks for sharing
ND Lv3Posted 2026-Jul-16 14:40
  
Nice catch!

I wonder though whether the 4 GB figure is fixed across all Sangfor HCI trial licenses or tied to a specific SKU/version.