Spotfire Server: OutOfMemoryException error when running Information Links after upgrading to Spotfire 14

In Spotfire 14, there is a seperate Java process to the main Spotfire server process which provides Information Services. This is used to retrieve data for information links.

The reason for this is that retrieving data via information links can be quite intensive on the Java heap, which could cause instability to the main spotfire server process. Providing a seperate service for handling information links can improve stability and provides a means for improved memory management.

Since Information Services runs as a seperate Java process, it will have it's own heap settings. The service has a maximum default heap size of 1GB.

In an environment where there is heavy use of information links, this may not be enough. As a result the following messages may be seen in the information services server.log file. This is now seperate from the main sever.log file, and is located in:

<installation root>\tomcat\logs\informationservices

OutOfMemoryException: Failure allocating buffer

In order to address this issue, the heap size for Information Services must be increased. However it must not be increased to too high value, since this will cause long GC pauses, which can lead to performance issues with information links. 

The best value for the heap size can be determined by analysing the performance logs (performance.monitoring.log*) which are present in the same logs directory mentioned above. This can be a complicated task and it is recommended to contact Revvity Signals Support for more assistance with this.

As a general rule of thumb, the maximum heap usage over a period of time should be examined (at least a weeks worth of data). A further ~ 30% of this value should be added as a contingency.

The maximum heap size can be adjusted via a config command as follows.

In this example the maximum heap usage was found to be 4GB, so the minimum heap size is set to this. A further 1GB Is added as a safeguard.

1. Export the server configuration

config.bat export-config

2. Set the heap size to the correct amount

config.bat config-external-information-services-process --min-memory=4096M --max-memory=5120M

3. Import the config back to the Spotfire Server

config.bat import-config -c "Altered heap parameters for Information Services"

Restart the service and the changes will be effective.

The performance logs and server logs should be monitored to ensure this is enough heap for the information services to run smoothly.