IBM Support

Insufficient ulimit -u (NPROC) Value Causes Native OutOfMemory warning message to be issued

Troubleshooting


Problem

An out of memory warning message may be observed on a system running WebSphere Application Server on Linux or AIX that is due to ulimit restrictions on number of processes or threads per user.   Further investigation may reveal a "Failed to create a thread:" message within the generated javacore which would indicate a native out of memory issue has been encountered. The cause of the problem may be an insufficient ulimit setting. While this type of issue can occur on any level of Linux, or AIX, the issue is most likely to be seen in systems running multiple instances of WebSphere Application Server using one userid. The following will outline how to identify if a process ulimit is the culprit and what WebSphere Application Server Support recommends to fix the case.

Symptom

An error like:

"systhrow" (00040000) Detail "java/lang/OutOfMemoryError" "Failed to create a thread: retVal -1073741830, errno 11" received
 

[{"Type":"MASTER","Line of Business":{"code":"LOB77","label":"Automation Platform"},"Business Unit":{"code":"BU048","label":"IBM Software"},"Product":{"code":"SSEQTP","label":"WebSphere Application Server"},"ARM Category":[{"code":"a8m50000000CdAmAAK","label":"OutOfMemory-\u003ENative"}],"ARM Case Number":"","Platform":[{"code":"PF016","label":"Linux"}],"Version":"7.0.0;8.0.0;8.5.5;9.0.0;9.0.5"}]

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Document Information

Modified date:
03 March 2025

UID

swg21648497