MustGather: Out of Memory Errors on Solaris, Part 1

Technote (FAQ)
Problem
This document describes how to troubleshoot java.lang.OutOfMemoryError on Solaris™ platforms. Gathering this information before calling IBM® support helps familiarize you with the troubleshooting process and saves you time.
Solution
Two conditions can cause a java.lang.OutOfMemoryError error:
  1. The Java™ Virtual Machine (JVM™) runs out of Java heap space to allocate a Java object.
  2. The JVM is not be able to allocate the native memory that it needs to create or execute threads.

If you have already contacted support, continue to the component-specific MustGather information. Otherwise, click the following link: MustGather: Read First for all WebSphere Application Server Products.


Follow the below instructions to setup the failing system for capturing required information:

  1. If possible, following instructions on How to enable verbosegc on WebSphere Application Server before recreating the problem.
  2. Restart the Application Server.
  3. Run the Solaris_ps.sh andSolaris_pmap.sh scripts (see attached scripts). Pass the script the sample period (time in seconds). This tells the script how often to take snapshots.

    For example, if the problem can be reproduced in 1 hour, pass the script 300 so that the documentation is collected every 5 minutes. For a problem that takes 2 days to reproduce, 1200 is a good sample period.
  4. Wait for problem to re-occur.
  5. Stop the Application Server and the script.
  6. Collect the following:
    • For release V6.0:
      1. All files in install_root/profiles/profile_name/logs/server_ame directory.
      2. All files in install_root/profiles/profile_name/logs/ffdc directory.
      3. A copy of server.xml located in install_root/profiles/profile_name/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/server_namedirectory
    • For releases V5.0 and V5.1:
      1. Include all of the files from the install_root/logs/server_namedirectory.
      2. All files in install_root/logs/ffdc directory.
      3. A copy of server.xml located at install_root/config/cells/cell_name/nodes/node_name/servers/server_name directory
    • For releases V3.5 and V4.0:
      1. Include all of the files from the install_root/logs directory.
      2. A copy of XMLExport for the server configuration
    • For all releases:
      • Alljtc*.log files created from running the script in Step 4.
      • Note:For all versions, If you have configured the Application Server to write logs into a different location, send them accordingly.
      • Important: If the data collected in this document indicates a leak in the Java heap, proceed to the technote under Related Information below.

  7. Follow instructions tosend diagnostic information to IBM support.

For a listing of all technotes, downloads, and educational materials specific to the Out of Memory component, search the WebSphere Application Server support site.

Related information
Out of Memory Error on Solaris - Heap Leak

How to enable verbosegc in WebSphere

Tuning Garbage Collection

Submitting information to IBM support

Steps to getting support

MustGather: Readme first

Troubleshooting guide












Document Information

Product categories: Software, Application Servers, Distributed Application & Web Servers, WebSphere Application Server, Out of Memory
Operating system(s): Solaris
Software version: 3.5, 4.0, 5.0, 5.1, 6.0
Software edition: Advanced, Base, Express, Network Deployment, Single Server, Standard
Reference #: 1104470
IBM Group: Software Group
Modified date: 2004-12-15