This gauge reports the highest number of packet buffers the node has had in use at once since the last reset, and it excludes the VG100 platform. Because a Gauge does not accumulate like a counter, this value reflects the actual worst-case buffer occupancy the switch fabric experienced rather than a running total, which is the number you'd check before deciding to raise a buffer-pool size. For example, if the node's total packet-buffer pool is 512 and this gauge peaked at 505, that node was seconds away from dropping packets for lack of buffers.