Memory problems on HPUX

[Pablo Matías Rodriguez_1]

I'm experiencing some problems with memory allocation on a HP-UX 11.00 platform. We have have an N4000 machine with 18 GB of physical memory. Memory kernel parameters seems to be well configured; but memory seams not to be available for processes to use.
There are three basic aplications running on this machine at this time. WebMethods, an Oracle server version 8.0.6, and HP Process Manager. Last friday we tried to increase SGA parameters in our oracle instance (because oracle was only allocating 697 Mb of memory; and having 18 GB available is clear enough that SGA could be higher). SGA was increased to 1.5 GB memory. Webmethod started up (before oracle does, this must be done this way cause Webmethods alocates a fixed memory area), WM server started, Oracle database (whit new SGA parameters started); but when we tried to start HPPM aplication, it din't start.
It seems to me that once Oracle started no memory was available for next processes to start. This shoudn't be so, taking under consideration large amount of physical memory.
Aditional information:
. 18GB of Physical RAM memory
. 28 GB of swap area configured from disk space
. Kernel parameters

Swap configuration

type size priority device/location
dev 12000 1 /dev/vg00/lvol2
dev 6144 1 /dev/vg00/lvol9
dev 10236 1 /dev/vavg02/va_swap


Kernel Configuration

The following drivers or parameters are configured into your system's
kernel. After installing HP-UX, use the sam(1m) command to configure
the following items into the kernel:
STRMSGSZ 65535
dbc_max_pct 20
max_thread_proc 128
maxdsiz 0XC0000000
maxdsiz_64bit 0X400000000
maxfiles 2048
maxfiles_lim 2048
maxssiz 0X08000000
maxssiz_64bit 0X10000000
maxswapchunks 16384
maxtsiz 0X40000000
maxtsiz_64bit 0X100000000
maxuprc 1168
maxusers 400
maxvgs 80
msgmax 32768
msgmnb 65535
msgmni 1461
msgseg 32767
msgssz 128
msgtql 6640
nfile 23963
nflocks 1461
ninode 13736
nproc 1644
npty 256
nstrpty 60
nstrtel 400
nswapdev 25
semmni 3320
semmns 6640
semmnu 660
semume 100
shmmax 0XC0000000
shmmni 600
shmseg 360
swapmem_on 0

Have you got any idea of what can be going wrong?

[Steven E. Protter]

Seems your box has a decent heavy load factor.

swapinfo -tam

Collect some background perfomance data with the script set I'm attaching and look for bottlenecks, 100% issues.

See attachment.

SEP

[A. Clay Stephenson]

You are probably running 32-bit applications. Unlike 64-bit applications (not to be confused with the "bitness" of the OS itself), 32-bit applications have some severe memory usage restrictions. For example, by default, data segements are restricted to a single 1GB quadrant. Moreover, all 32-bit applications share a common shared memory address pool. You can get around some of the restrictions by implementing memory windows in which a group of related 32-bit processes share a 4GB address space.

See this for more information about memory windows:
http://docs.hp.com/cgi-bin/fsearch/framedisplay?top=/hpux/onlinedocs/5187-2255/5187-2255_top.html&con=/hpux/onlinedocs/5187-2255/00/00/92-con.html&toc=/hpux/onlinedocs/5187-2255/00/00/92-toc.html&searchterms=Usage%7cMemory&queryid=20040203-133759

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

Hi,

What's the bitness of your 8.0.6 OS?. If it is 32bit, you are hitting the limit. 32bit processes can only address upto 1.75 GB with the default configuration. Your SGA is 1.5 and I am pretty sure it is not getting enough.

You may have to lower your SGA or use memory windows. Look at /usr/share/doc/mem_wndws.txt file for more information on memory windows and the issues with it if implemented.

-Sri

[Pablo Matías Rodriguez_1]

Bitness of OS is 64 bits

System Hardware

Model: 9000/800/N4000-75
Main Memory: 12288 MB
Processors: 3
OS mode: 64 bit
LAN hardware ID: 0x00306E1CF2F8
LAN hardware ID: 0x00306E219411
LAN hardware ID: 0x00306E219492
Software ID: 646399336
Keyboard Language: Not_Applicable


But it's possible HPPM aplication was 32 bit dessigned. Can this be a problem?

[Pablo Matías Rodriguez_1]

Another thing:

swapinfo -tam

Mb Mb Mb PCT START/ Mb
TYPE AVAIL USED FREE USED LIMIT RESERVE PRI NAME
dev 12000 0 12000 0% 0 - 1 /dev/vg00/lvol2
dev 6144 0 6144 0% 0 - 1 /dev/vg00/lvol9
dev 10236 0 10236 0% 0 - 1
/dev/vavg02/va_swap
reserve - 2884 -2884
total 28380 2884 25496 10% - 0 -

[Sridhar Bhaskarla]

There was a typo in my message. I actually meant bitness of oracle. 8.0.6 comes in both flavors - 32bit and 64bit.

I see a correlation between your oracle being 32bit and you trying to increase the SGA to 1.5G

-Sri

[Pablo Matías Rodriguez_1]

Steven:
I attach you here information you asked for. Hope it's usefull.

[Pablo Matías Rodriguez_1]

I guess Oracle server bitnes is 32 bits, because i find no clue that software was 64 bit installed. SO, instead, is 64 bit. I know 32 bit application can work (limitations appart) on 64 bit systems; but, in which way can this be affectin memory use. Because, as I told before, when SGA was increased up to 1.5 GB oracle started with no problem at all.

Connected to:
Oracle8 Enterprise Edition Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
PL/SQL Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production

SQL> select * from v$version;
BANNER
----------------------------------------------------------------
Oracle8 Enterprise Edition Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
PL/SQL Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
CORE Version 4.0.6.0.0 - Production
TNS for HPUX: Version 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
NLSRTL Version 3.3.3.0.0 - Production
SQL> select * from v$sga;
NAME VALUE
-------------------- ----------
Fixed Size 52200
Variable Size 192864256
Database Buffers 532480000
Redo Buffers 212992
SQL> select * from v$database;
DBID NAME CREATED RESETLOGS_CHANGE# RESETLOGS_TIME
---------- --------- --------------- ----------------- ---------------
PRIOR_RESETLOGS_CHANGE# PRIOR_RESETLOGS LOG_MODE CHECKPOINT_CHANGE#
----------------------- --------------- ------------ ------------------
ARCHIVE_CHANGE# CONTROL CONTROLFILE_CRE CONTROLFILE_SEQUENCE#
--------------- ------- --------------- ---------------------
CONTROLFILE_CHANGE# CONTROLFILE_TIM OPEN_RESETL VERSION_TIME
------------------- --------------- ----------- ---------------
159925307 HPPM 27-SEP-01 6.5327E+12 01-OCT-03
1 27-SEP-01 ARCHIVELOG 6.5327E+12
6.5327E+12 CURRENT 27-SEP-01 264239
6.5327E+12 NOT ALLOWED 01-OCT-03
SQL> select * from v$instance;

INSTANCE_NUMBER INSTANCE_NAME
--------------- ----------------
HOST_NAME
----------------------------------------------------------------
VERSION STARTUP_TIME STATUS PAR THREAD# ARCHIVE LOG_SWITCH_
----------------- --------------- ------- --- ---------- ------- -----------
LOGINS SHU
---------- ---
1 hppm
milodon
8.0.6.0.0 30-JAN-04 OPEN NO 1 STARTED
ALLOWED NO
SQL> select * from v$option;
PARAMETER
----------------------------------------------------------------
VALUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Partitioning
FALSE
Objects
FALSE
Parallel Server
FALSE
PARAMETER
----------------------------------------------------------------
VALUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Advanced replication
TRUE

Bit-mapped indexes
TRUE

Connection multiplexing
TRUE


PARAMETER
----------------------------------------------------------------
VALUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Connection pooling
TRUE

Database queuing
TRUE

Incremental backup and recovery
TRUE


PARAMETER
----------------------------------------------------------------
VALUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Instead-of triggers
TRUE

Parallel backup and recovery
TRUE

Parallel execution
TRUE


PARAMETER
----------------------------------------------------------------
VALUE
----------------------------------------------------------------
Parallel load
TRUE

Point-in-time tablespace recovery
TRUE


14 rows selected.
SQL> quit
Disconnected from Oracle8 Enterprise Edition Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
PL/SQL Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
$ svrmgrl

Oracle Server Manager Release 3.0.6.0.0 - Production

(c) Copyright 1999, Oracle Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Oracle8 Enterprise Edition Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production
PL/SQL Release 8.0.6.0.0 - Production

SVRMGR>

Here some adittional database information