ZZ: When Linux Runs Out of Memory (OOM killer)

 

When Linux Runs Out of Memory

http://linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2006/11/30/linux-out-of-memory.html?page=1

 

 

Perhaps you rarely face it, but once you do, you surely know what'swrong: lack of free memory, or Out of Memory (OOM). The results aretypical: you can no longer allocate more memory and the kernel kills atask (usually the current running one). Heavy swapping usuallyaccompanies this situation, so both screen and disk activity reflectthis.

At the bottom of this problem lie other questions: how much memorydo you want to allocate? How much does the operating system (OS)allocate for you? The basic reason of OOM is simple: you've asked formore than the available virtual memory space. I say "virtual" becauseRAM isn't the only place counted as free memory; any swap areas apply.

Exploring OOM