Configuring the Memory Limit for the Process Dashboard

When the Process Dashboard runs, it sets a firm limit for the amount of memory (RAM) the process will be allowed to use. The preconfigured limit works well for most teams. But when a Team Dashboard contains many projects (or several very large ones), the preconfigured limit may be insufficient. In these cases, you may receive a “Memory Limit Reached” or “Out of Memory” error message. The instructions below describe how to resolve this error.

Windows

  • Look in the directory where you installed the Process Dashboard application. This directory will include a file called pspdash.jar
  • On Windows computers, that directory will also contain a file called ProcessDashboard.l4j.ini. Open that file in a text editor like Notepad.
  • You will see a line that reads -Xmx800m. Change the number from 800 to a higher value, like 1000. So for example, the line could read -Xmx1000m
  • Save the file, then close and reopen the dashboard.
  • If you still encounter this error message, choose a slightly higher number and try again. Don’t enter an excessively large number, or the application may be unable to start at all.

Unix / Linux

  • If you run the dashboard by clicking an icon:
    • Edit the properties of the icon.
    • Find the command line that is being executed to run the dashboard.
  • If you run the dashboard by executing a shell script:
    • Open the shell script in a text editor.
    • Find the line that executes the java process.
  • In the command line you found, look for an argument of the form -Xmx800m. Change the number from 800 to a higher value, like 1000. So for example, the argument could read -Xmx1000m
  • Save the change, then close and reopen the dashboard.
  • If you still encounter this error message, choose a slightly higher number and try again. Don’t enter an excessively large number, or the application may be unable to start at all.

Mac OS X

  • Open the Applications folder and find the icon you click to launch the team/personal dashboard in question. Ctrl-click on the icon and choose Show Package Contents.
  • Expand the “Contents” folder and open the Info.plist file.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the file and find the line that reads <string>-Xmx800m</string>. Change the number from 800 to a higher value, like 1000. So for example, the line could read <string>-Xmx1000m</string>
  • Save the file, then close and reopen the dashboard.
  • If you still encounter this error message, choose a slightly higher number and try again. Don’t enter an excessively large number, or the application may be unable to start at all.