Apple AppleShare IP 5.0 Update - Manual (Page 18)

Note that a portion of RAM is reserved for system software as well as for
programs opened before the Web & File Server. The Web & File Server
reserves a portion of RAM for use by other applications, as described in
“Limiting the Size of the Cache” in Chapter 4, and uses the remaining RAM
as needed.
The memory that the File Server Extension uses is one component of the
overall memory required by system software. Thus, the minimum of 5.5 MB
of RAM that the File Server Extension requires is part of the total memory
displayed for system software when you view your computer’s memory
allocation. (To view your computer’s memory allocation, choose About This
Computer from the Apple menu.)
If free RAM (that is, RAM not being used by system software or any
applications) is available on your computer, the Web & File Server uses it for
its cache as needed. As the cache expands, the amount of memory allocated
to “System Software” in the About This Computer window grows accordingly.
Once the Web & File Server has claimed available memory for its cache, it
does not automatically release the memory so that it can be used by other
applications. If, while the Web & File Server is running, you are unable to
open a program because not enough memory has been allocated for other
programs, you can flush the cache temporarily. That procedure is described in
the section “Resetting the Cache Temporarily” in Chapter 4.
302 Appendix C / Web & File Server Cache