Troubleshooting native memory issues

There are two types of memory problems which will throw an OutOfMemoryError: If a Java™ object cannot be allocated or if there is no more memory available for native code allocations (c malloc) or threads. The first case is called Java heap exhaustion and the second, a native memory issue. Finding the users of native memory can be a lengthy process, as there is no way of knowing which code allocated the native memory. There are no comparable heapdumps for native memory, so we have to use trial and error, going through each of the potential native memory users until we find the one that is causing the problem. Following are the most common causes of native memory issues in WebSphere Application Server, so you should try them first. They are all trying to reduce the native memory used (the native memory footprint) so both the java heap memory and native memory can fit in the address space for the application server process. If these steps do not solve your native memory issue, IBM support will guide you through the rest.