SQL Server Memory allocation and max server memory setting

For one of our SQL Server, we recently add more memory. The initial value was 12GB. The server experienced a lack of physical memory so we added another 12GB, for a total of 24GB. Then I have set the followings values : min. server memory 1024MB - max server memory : 19456. Well everything is running fine, but I have few questions about SQL Server memory usage. Indeed, SQL server suddenly used all the assigned memory :

I have a good book which say :"Once memory usage has increased beyond the min server memory setting, SQL Server won't release any memory below that amount" - Is the same thing happening here with max server memory ?

I'm wondering (again) how to measure how much memory SQL is really using. I'm confused with the parameter "Total server memory (KB)" ("this counter measures SQL Server's total buffer pool usage"). According perfmon it is only 2MB :

Maybe we could spare the ESX some RAM and SQL Server memory (i.e PLE) will still show good values - How to be sure ? A good explanation on how SQL memory works in that case will be really appreciate!

Your configuration is fine. 24GB total RAM, 19GB for SQL Server leaving 5GB for the OS.

SQL Server is memory hungry and will consume all the 19GB available, that is perfectly normal.

You could lower the max server memory from 19GB. I wouldn't do that however, if you were experiencing memory pressure with 12GB of memory.

The question would be what other roles is that server performing that would use the memory you would potentially deallocate from SQL Server? Can those roles (maybe SSIS, SSRS, SSAS etc) be moved to an alternative server?

StackExchange Database Administrators Q#152720, answer score: 2