IBM AIX 7.3 – Common Problem 116 – Diagnosis and Fix

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Java/Oracle processes core or fail with ENOMEM despite free RAM.

Environment & Reproduction

Default user ulimits cap data/heap below workload need.

Root Cause Analysis

AIX enforces per-user limits via /etc/security/limits.

Quick Triage

Run ulimit -a as that user and check chuser settings.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Inspect /etc/security/limits for fsize, data, stack values.

Solution – Primary Fix

Edit /etc/security/limits to set data=-1 fsize=-1 for the user.

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Use lsuser/chuser to set per-user runtime caps.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Process starts and heap grows past prior cap without errors.

Rollback Plan

Restore previous limits and restart service if app misbehaves.

Prevention & Hardening

Template limits per role (DB, app, batch) in NIM postinstall.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Pairs with java.lang.OutOfMemoryError native heap.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for aix-7.3.

View all aix-7.3 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

IBM Docs: limits, lsuser/chuser.