How to increase Spectrum Tomcat Memory due to performance issues or Java Heap errors

Products

• Network Observability
• Spectrum

Issue/Introduction

OneClick server performance issues or failures occur when the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) lacks sufficient memory. Logs such as stdout.log (Windows) or catalina.out (Linux) may show heap allocation failures.

Symptoms:

• OneClick server is unreachable or shuts down unexpectedly.
• The following error appears in the logs: java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space insufficient memory for the Java Runtime
• Primary OneClick is down in a Production Down (Severity 1) scenario.

Here is an example of the heap errors:

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
Dumping heap to java_pid46200.hprof ...
Heap dump file created [4685398829 bytes in 147.345 secs]
Dec 29, 2018 10:09:34.111 - TomcatHealthWatcher stopping: full thread dump
Exception in thread "http-nio-8080-exec-80" Exception in thread "http-niohpro-8080-exec-78" Exception in thread "Timer-0" Exception in thread "http-nio-8080-ClientPoller-0" 
Exception: java.lang.OutOfMemoryError thrown from the UncaughtExceptionHandler in thread "http-nio-8080-exec-76"

Exception: java.lang.OutOfMemoryError thrown from the UncaughtExceptionHandler in thread "http-nio-8080-exec-86"
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space

However, there are many other cases where the memory just needs to be increased.

Environment

 

• DX NetOps Spectrum (all releases)
• Windows or Linux Operating Systems
• Integrations: Performance Management (CAPM), UIM, or VNA

 

 

Cause

Java heap out of memory messages are generated when the application requires more memory than currently configured. The default configuration (4GB in Spectrum 10.2+) is often insufficient for large environments or those with multiple integrations.

Resolution

Adjust the Tomcat heap size based on the available Operating System RAM. Ensure no other major applications are sharing the server resources.

General RAM Guidelines:

• 16 GB OS RAM: Set Tomcat memory to 10 GB (10240M).
• 32 GB OS RAM: Set Tomcat memory to 12 GB (12288M).
• 40 GB - 64 GB OS RAM: Set Tomcat memory to 16 GB (16384M).

Method 1: Update via OneClick Administration GUI

1. Access the OneClick Administration page.
2. Navigate to Web Server Memory.
3. Enter the desired value and save.
   • Note: Making changes via the GUI causes the Tomcat server to cycle automatically.

Method 2: Update Manually via Configuration Files

If the GUI is inaccessible, update the configuration files directly:

1. Log into the OneClick system as the user who owns the Spectrum installation.
2. Navigate to the $SPECROOT/tomcat/bin directory.
3. Modify the configuration file for the respective OS:
   • Windows: Edit OneClickService.conf. Locate the -Xmx parameter and update the value (e.g., -Xmx16384M).
   • Linux/Unix: Edit catalina.sh. Update the JAVA_OPTS or -Xmx parameter.
4. Save the changes.
5. Restart the Tomcat service for the changes to take effect.

Additional Information

If Tomcat continues to fail at the higher allocation or generates a crash file (.hprof), contact Broadcom Support

• To view current memory usage, navigate to the Administration - Web Server Memory page of the OneClick URL.
• For NetOps 23.x and above, consider implementing G1 Garbage Collector settings for further stability.
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