Increasing the Java Heap Size to Accommodate Posting Large Files

This section provides an overview of increasing the Java heap size, and describes how to:

  • Increase the Java heap size on Oracle WebLogic web servers.

  • Increase the Java heap size on IBM WebSphere web servers.

When posting files that are five megabytes (MB) or larger to the integration gateway, you should increase the Java heap size in the Simple Post Utility to handle larger file sizes. If the Simple Post Utility does not have enough memory for a task, the system might generate an “Out of Memory” error.

You can increase the heap size to any value that you want, as long as your machine has the random access memory (RAM) to support the value that you choose.

The steps to increase the JVM heap size depend on the web server.

When using an Oracle WebLogic web server, you increase the JVM heap size in the setenv.cmd file.

To increase the Java heap size on an Oracle WebLogic web server:

  1. Use a text editor to open the setenv.cmd file.

    The file is located via the following path: .

    <PIA_HOME>\webserv\peoplesoft\bin

  2. Locate the SET JAVA_OPTIONS parameter.

  3. Change or add the –XmxZZm parameter, where ZZ equals the amount of RAM, in MB, to allocate.

    The following example shows the parameter set to a maximum of 128 MB.

    SET JAVA_OPTIONS=-hotspot -ms1m -mx128m

  4. Save the changes.

When you run the Simple Post utility, you must specify the maximum Java heap size that you specified here. For example, if you set the JAVA_OPTIONS parameter in the setenv.cmd file to 128 MB, when invoking the Simple Post utility you must add the following argument to the command line:

-Xmx128m

If your web server is an IBM WebSphere server, the JVM heap size is most likely set to a minimum heap size of 64 MB and a maximum size of 256 MB. Setting the JVM heap size to a larger minimum value (preferably one that equals the maximum value) avoids a compromise in performance incurred by dynamically growing the JVM and improves predictability; it also reduces the frequency for JVM garbage collection.

PeopleSoft recommends that if you use IBM WebSphere, you increase the JVM minimum heap size to 256 MB.

To increase the Java heap size on an IBM WebSphere web server:

  1. Stop and restart the web server using the following commands:

    • Stop the web server: <WAS_HOME/bin> stopServer.bat(sh) <serverName>

    • Start the web server: <WAS_HOME/bin> startServer.bat(sh) <serverName>

  2. Open the Admin console at http://<machine-name>:9090/admin, where 9090 refers to the default Admin console port.

  3. Log in to the system as any user.

  4. Expand Servers > Application Servers > server > Process Definition > Java Virtual Machine.

  5. Enter values for Initial Heap and Max Heap.

  6. Save the configuration and log out.

  7. Restart the web server.