MetaDefender Storage Security continuously monitors its own workload and automatically adjusts how much data it processes at once. Scans keep moving during busy periods, and resources are freed up when things quiet down with no manual intervention.
This page explains what automatic scaling does, what you can see on the built-in System dashboard, the recommendations it may show you, and how to turn it off if you need to.
Overview
The amount of work flowing through MDSS rises and falls throughout the day as files are discovered, scanned, and remediated. Automatic scaling (the "autoscaler") keeps performance steady across those changes.
Instead of running at a fixed pace, MDSS watches how busy the system is and continuously adjusts how aggressively it processes work. When demand rises, it processes more in parallel to clear the backlog faster. When demand falls, it eases back to free up resources. When something is under strain, it deliberately slows down to keep the system stable.
Automatic scaling makes the resources you already have work as efficiently as possible. It does not add or remove servers on its own — instead, when it detects that more capacity is genuinely needed, it tells you exactly what to add through clear, on-screen recommendations.
Automatic scaling is enabled by default and works out of the box. No setup is required.
How it works
Automatic scaling runs quietly in the background. Every few seconds it checks how the system is doing and decides whether to speed up, slow down, or hold steady.
MDSS pays attention to indicators such as:
how busy the processors (CPU) and memory are,
how large the backlog of waiting work is,
how quickly scans are being completed,
the health and responsiveness of connected MetaDefender Core scan engines, and
available disk space and database capacity.
Based on these, its behavior is deliberately smooth and cautious:
It speeds up gradually when there is a healthy backlog and resources are available, in measured steps rather than all at once.
It slows down promptly when a resource starts to run hot, prioritizing stability.
It protects itself immediately if a critical limit is reached, sharply reducing activity to prevent failures, then carefully recovering once conditions improve.
It rests when idle, returning to a light baseline once the backlog is cleared, so resources are available for other work.
Built-in safety guardrails
Separately from performance tuning, MDSS includes safety guardrails that protect your data and the system. If free disk space or database capacity becomes critically low, MDSS automatically pauses processing so the system does not run out of room, and resumes automatically once capacity recovers. When this happens, it shows a clear message explaining what to do.
The System dashboard
MDSS includes a System dashboard that shows, in real time, what automatic scaling is doing and why. It refreshes automatically every few seconds and is a view-only monitoring screen — the system tunes itself, so there is nothing to configure here.
The dashboard appears as a System tab alongside the main Dashboard view, for users with the appropriate access.
Autoscaling insight
The top card summarizes, in a single sentence, what MDSS is doing right now — for example, "I'm scaling up to keep scanning moving while you review this," or "I'm continuously verifying your deployment." When there is something to address, it explains the cause in plain language and flags how urgent it is (Action required, Recommended, or Worth reviewing). When all is well, it simply confirms that everything is healthy and no action is needed.
Live status
A strip of key figures gives an at-a-glance summary: how many scans are in progress, the current status (such as Scaling up or Idle), what — if anything — is currently limiting performance, and how many files are being processed per minute. A History button opens a timeline of recent activity.
Autoscaling activity
A running timeline of notable events — such as speeding up, slowing down, or pausing — each described in plain language, for example "MDSS increased scanning throughput to keep up with incoming files."
Resource utilization
Cards show current usage of CPU, memory, disk, database, and cache, each with a simple healthy / warning / critical indicator.
Throughput & queue pressure
Shows how much work is waiting at each stage and lets you switch between two live charts: Throughput (files processed per minute over time) and Queue pressure (backlog size over time). This makes it easy to see whether MDSS is keeping pace with incoming work.
Service health
Shows the health of each MDSS service, with a summary of how many are healthy, each service's current processing rate, and a short explanation of any bottleneck.
MetaDefender Core instances
A table of the connected MetaDefender Core scan engines, showing each engine's address, health status, and current processing rate. An engine that is currently holding back overall performance is flagged as a bottleneck.
Processing status
When a safety guardrail is active, a card shows whether processing is Normal or Paused, the reason, and the state of disk space and database capacity. If processing is paused, MDSS also shows a prominent banner and a recommended action to resolve it.
Status indicators elsewhere
Beyond the System dashboard, a compact status card appears in the sidebar, and if performance becomes degraded, a banner appears across the application with a link to the recommended actions — so you are kept informed even when you are not viewing the dashboard.
Autoscaling states
The Status on the dashboard reflects what automatic scaling is doing at that moment:
State | Meaning |
|---|---|
Idle | Little or no work to do; MDSS is running at a light baseline to conserve resources. |
Scaling up | Demand is high and resources are available, so MDSS is increasing how much it processes at once. |
Holding | Conditions are near a limit, so MDSS is holding steady rather than changing course. |
Scaling down | A resource is under sustained pressure, so MDSS is easing back to relieve it. |
Throttling | A critical limit was reached, so MDSS has sharply reduced activity to protect the system. |
Paused | A safety guardrail has paused processing to avoid running out of capacity. Processing resumes automatically once capacity recovers. |
Recommendations you may see
When MDSS determines that your hardware or a supporting component has become the limiting factor, it shows a single, prioritized recommendation. Recommendations are advisory — MDSS keeps running as efficiently as it can regardless — but acting on them will improve performance or resolve a constraint.
Recommendation | Why you are seeing it | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Increase specs | The MDSS host is below the minimum recommended hardware. | Bring the host up to the minimum recommended CPU and memory. |
Increase CPU | Performance is being held back by available CPU. | Add CPU to the host, or add an additional MDSS instance to share the load. |
Increase memory | Performance is being held back by available memory. | Add memory to the host, or add an additional MDSS instance. |
Use an external database | The database is limiting throughput or growing large on the local host. | Move the database to a dedicated external host. |
Use an external cache | The local cache is limiting throughput. | Move the cache to a dedicated external host. |
Use an external MetaDefender Core | The local MetaDefender Core is limiting scan throughput. | Switch to an external MetaDefender Core so scanning can scale independently. |
Increase MetaDefender Core performance | Your external MetaDefender Core is at capacity. | Increase its resources or add more Core nodes. |
Increase storage | Processing was paused because disk space or database capacity is critically low. | Free up or add storage, or move the database to a larger or external host, to resume processing. |
MDSS shows the single most important recommendation at any time rather than a long list, so you can focus on the change that will have the greatest impact.
Turning automatic scaling off
Automatic scaling is enabled by default, and we recommend leaving it on. If you need to turn it off, you can do so with an environment variable:
With this set, MDSS stops automatically adjusting how much it processes and runs at a steady baseline instead. It continues to monitor performance and show the dashboard. Restart MDSS for the change to take effect.
Note: The safety guardrails that pause processing when disk space or database capacity is critically low remain active regardless of this setting, so the system stays protected even when automatic scaling is turned off.
Frequently asked questions
Does automatic scaling add or remove servers? No. It makes your existing deployment work as efficiently as possible. When more capacity is genuinely needed, it recommends what to add rather than provisioning it for you.
Will it slow down my scans? Only deliberately, and only to protect the system — for example, when a resource is critically high. In normal operation it increases throughput to clear work faster, and eases back only when there is little to do.
Do I need to configure anything to use it? No. It is enabled by default and self-tuning.
Why does processing sometimes pause? A safety guardrail pauses processing when disk space or database capacity becomes critically low, and resumes automatically once capacity recovers. Follow the on-screen Increase storage recommendation to resolve it.
Why am I seeing a recommendation to add hardware or move a component externally? Because MDSS has determined that resource is currently limiting performance. See Recommendations you may see for what each recommendation means and how to act on it.