Symptoms

JIRA applications crash. Errors in the logs appear as:

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: PermGen space

Causes

The error message java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: PermGen space means Java's fixed block for loading class files has been exceeded. Permanent Generation Memory, unlike Java heap space, is the memory allocation for the classes themselves as opposed to the objects created. There are 3 possible causes for this:

1. The most common is that the addition of more plugins contributes to more consumption of PermGen space. The error occurs when enough classes are invoked. If this happens, the resolution below applies.
2. There is also a known bug with JIRA 4.3.1 that can cause this error to occur on Windows Systems. Upgrading to the most recent JIRA application release will resolve that bug - please see Upgrading JIRA applications for information on how to upgrade.
3. It could also happen if you try and run multiple Atlassian applications in a single Tomcat container. See:

   Do not deploy multiple Atlassian applications in a single Tomcat container

   Deploying multiple Atlassian applications in a single Tomcat container is not supported. We do not test this configuration and upgrading any of the applications (even for point releases) is likely to break it. There are also a number of known issues with this configuration (see this FAQfor more information).

   We also strongly recommend not deploying multiple Atlassian applications to a single Tomcat container for a number of practical reasons. Firstly, you must shut down Tomcat to upgrade any application and secondly, if one application crashes, the other applications running in that Tomcat container will be inaccessible.

   Finally, we recommend not deploying any other applications to the same Tomcat container that runs JIRA, especially if these other applications have large memory requirements or require additional libraries in Tomcat's lib subdirectory.

Resolution