HP Service Manager Shared Memory Guide

Shared Memory Configuration, Functionality, and Scalability

Document Release Date: July 2014

Software Release Date: July 2014

Introduction to Shared Memory.............................................................................................................. 2

Creation and Use of Shared Memory ..................................................................................................... 2
Shared Memory Sizing ......................................................................................................................... 4
Cache Sizing ................................................................................................................................... 4
Shared Memory Reports .................................................................................................................... 5
Shared Memory Areas .................................................................................................................. 6
IR Expert and Shared Memory ........................................................................................................... 7
Horizontal Scaling: Special Considerations ............................................................................................. 8
Troubleshooting ................................................................................................................................... 8
For more information ............................................................................................................................ 9
Introduction to Shared Memory
HP Service Manager shared memory is divided into three main areas:
• User-related memory
• Information Retrieval (IR) process
• System table cache

This document explains how Service Manager uses shared memory as well as how each area must be included
in the sizing calculation.

Creation and Use of Shared Memory

Shared memory is a common area of storage that is used by all Service Manager server processes on a host
machine. Using shared memory is an efficient means of sharing data between processes. For example, when
a user or background process first executes a RAD application, Service Manager loads the application into
shared memory. This allows other user processes to execute the same application without the overhead of
storing a copy of their own into memory. Subsequent executions of the RAD application will result in Service
Manager retrieving the application from shared memory thus decreasing the IO required by each process.
This behavior of sharing certain data, such as applications, table definitions, and forms between all users
significantly increases program performance because reading data from memory is more efficient than reading
from disk memory. The total amount of memory used is additionally decreased because one copy of the
application, dbdict or form is shared between all users.
The first process that initiates during the startup of Service Manager on the host machine creates the shared
memory block in the size defined by the shared_memory parameter in the sm.ini file. The syntax of this
parameter is
shared_memory:<value>
Where <value> is the amount of memory in bytes Service Manager should allocate. This shared memory will
be held in the machines virtual memory and thus should not be larger than the virtual memory the machine has
available. Information about this allocation can be seen in the sm.log file by locating the line that reads
“Creating Resources for system xxxxx with key 0xyyyyyyyyy” (where xxxxx represents the port number you are
using and 0xyyyyyyyyy is a system key identifying the shared memory). Every process that connects afterwards
attaches to the shared memory that was created by the first process. Information about this attachment can be
seen in the sm.log file by locating the line that reads “Attaching to resources for system xxxxx with key
0xyyyyyyyyy.”. However, execution of some reports, like sm –reportsem, sm -reportshm and sm –reportlic, will
not create shared memory because they are designed to only read data from existing shared memory.

Example: Shared Memory involvement during the login process

The login application is called. Service Manager will check shared memory, find that the login application is
not currently stored there, retrieves the code record for the application from the database, and then loads it
into shared memory. At this point, Service Manager will begin to execute the login application. Once it
determines that the login.prompt form needs to be displayed, it will check shared memory for the form, find
that it is not currently stored there, retrieve the login.prompt form from the database and load it into shared
memory. Once the form is displayed, the user enters their userid and password, the application then attempts
to validate this information against Service Manager’s operator file. This method of checking shared memory,
retrieving the item from the database, and storing it into shared memory continues throughout the life of the
process. For this reason, the first user to log into Service Manager is responsible for loading most of the
contents of shared memory, which allows each subsequent user to benefit.
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Shared Memory Management
Because the memory in the allocated shared memory area is not released until the Service Manager server
processes are stopped, the initial overhead of allocating does not depend on users logging in and out of
Service Manager. It is assumed that while the server is operating, users will be logging in and out routinely
and they will require continuous access to shared memory. Depending on the information, memory is released
for reuse within the shared memory area at different times. For example, User Blocks are freed when the user
logs out, and cached items are released when they are no longer needed. Cached information that has
changed is flagged obsolete and a copy of the changed record is loaded into shared memory with the first
user requesting the record after the change. The obsolete record is freed when the use count of the record is at
0, meaning all user processes using this record have released it from use.
For example, when a RAD application has changed, the old version is flagged obsolete if it is still in use and
the new version is loaded into shared memory by the next user requesting the RAD application. This occurs
because the system cannot find a current copy of the record in shared memory at that time. The obsolete
record is freed when the last user still using the old code record releases it. If the IR area of shared memory
reaches its size limit (default is 30 % of total allocated shared memory), the least recently used record is
removed from memory to allow for new records to be loaded.
Shared memory in Service Manager is divided into various size blocks of storage. The sizes available (in
bytes) are 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048, 4096, 8192, and BIG_ALLOC. Any request for shared
storage greater than 8192 bytes is satisfied from the BIG_ALLOC pool. Smaller sized blocks are not allocated
one at a time, but instead, come from a pool of similar sized requests. For example, when a request is made
for 16 bytes of shared storage and there is no 16 byte block free, Service Manager will allocate a 32K byte
block from the lower end of shared memory and divide that 32K area into 16 byte blocks. The first 16 byte
block would be returned to the requestor and the remaining 16 byte blocks would remain on the 16 byte block
free chain for later allocation. BIG ALLOC starts at the end of the allocated shared memory. When both ends
(<8K and BIG ALLOC) meet, Service Manager is out of shared memory.

Figure 1: Shared Memory Layout

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Shared Memory Sizing
Because the storage area of shared memory is not directly related to the number of users in the system, the per-
user shared memory requirement can only be estimated. A user requires 512 bytes of storage for their user
block, plus small amounts of storage for various overhead tasks. The user’s total shared memory depends on
the number of modules used, and the number of forms, dbdict records, links, format controls, and code records
they access. The estimated amount of shared memory per user will be higher for a smaller user base, because
the cached information in the system is usually relatively static and does not depend on the number of users in
the system.
A sample calculation for shared memory is:
48 MB + 1MB per 10 users + Shared Memory for IR (see below).
Important: Shared memory in a horizontally scaled environment must be calculated per machine based on
how many users this machine handles during peak times.
If the Service Manager Information Retrieval (IR) process is used, the IR Cache section of shared memory should
accommodate the size of all IR files that are used.
The default size allocated for IR is 30% of the total shared memory. If this amount does not match the
recommended size of shared memory for IR, use the ir_max_shared:<s ize_in _b y t es > parameter to set
aside additional shared memory for the IR process.

Shared Memory Adjustments

These suggestions offer a good baseline for most customer systems. However, it may still be necessary to
periodically adjust the amount of shared memory. The amount of free storage should be monitored regularly
using the Service Manager Shared Memory Report, sm –reportshm.
HP recommends never letting the amount of free space fall below 25%. If continuous monitoring of the shared
memory report indicates that free space is constantly above 75%, the shared_memory parameter in the
sm.ini file can be set to a lower number to ensure memory is being used efficiently.
Note: Adjustments to the shared_memory parameter must not be made when the Service Manager server
is running.

Cache Sizing
Cache is stored in slots. By default Service Manager uses 2003 cache slots. The cache report (sm -reportcache)
shows the cache slots used and average and maximum depths.
C:\scs\sm7\server\RUN>sm -reportcache
---------------------- Cache Statistics ----------------------

Slot use: 42%; Average Slot Depth: 1; Maximum Slot Depth: 13

The average slot depth should be below 3 and the maximum should be below 10. If the average slot depth is
too deep, increase the cache_slots parameter to a larger prime number, such as 11001. Prime numbers are
most efficient for cache_slots. This is due to the fact that we calculate a hash for each item in the cache
resulting in numbers between 0 and 2 32 -1 (32-bit integer). These hash numbers have to be distributed – if
possible evenly – between the available cache slots. This is done with a modulus function against the
cache_slots. Using a prime number has a higher probability of distributing the cache items evenly amongst the
cache slots.

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Unused items are removed from cache by the sync process. During the cache_clean_interval, the sync process
enters a timestamp into all cache items that have a use count of 0. During the next cache_clean_interval, if it
still shows the timestamp the item will be removed from cache. If the cache item was used after the first interval,
the use count overwrites the timestamp indicating the item has been recently used. Thus cache items that were
unused for cache_clean_interval (seconds) * 2 will be removed from the cache.

Shared Memory Reports

You can monitor the allocation and growth of shared memory by using the Service Manager Shared Memory
Report, sm –reportshm. Figure 2 is an example of a shared memory report. The report contains a list of all
the items currently stored in shared memory in addition to the amount of storage each item is using.
03/11/10 13:57:11 pid (6208) HP Service Manager diagnostic report follows:

------ Shared Memory ------

Shared Memory Release 9.20

Current Size 32000000

Segment Allocation 6460760

Large Block Allocation 9060864

Unused Space 16478376 (51%)

Free Space 19875712 (62%)

Shared Memory Type Allocations Frees Allocated

------------------ ----------- ----------- -----------
Not named 110 0 56400
User blocks 0 0 0
Messages 0 0 0
Resource locks 86 0 8144
Database Services 139 0 17904
Cache overhead 3 0 10256
Application cache 5294 2779 3726992
DBDICT cache 12096 10974 6922560
SQL descriptor cache 544 378 438400
Join/ERD/Type cache 620 0 823296
String Type cache 532 442 23040
JavaScript Members 9 0 784
IR Expert cache 375 0 91808

Figure 2 Service Manager Shared Memory Report

Current Size is the amount of shared memory allocated in bytes as defined by the shared_memory parameter
in the sm.ini file.
Free Space is the amount of shared memory that is available for use by processes. Free Space is gained
when previously used Shared Memory areas are made available again. Also, Free Space is the sum of
"Unused Space" (memory never before allocated) and "Freed Space" (memory in the free list chain that was
previously allocated) Free Space is shown as total bytes and as an overall percentage.
Unused Space represents available shared memory that has not yet been allocated. When Service Manager
starts, the entire amount of memory defined by the shared_memory parameter is allocated, and blocks may

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then be allocated from within that shared memory as needed. Unused Space is shown in total bytes and as an
overall percentage.
Using sm -reportshm:1 to generate the Service Manager Shared Memory Report will produce a more detailed
listing of shared memory allocation.

Service Manager Semaphore Report

The Service Manager Semaphore Report, sm –reportsem, produces a list of all semaphores and handles
currently held by Service Manager. This report can be useful when debugging shared memory problems.
03/11/10 14:11:50 pid (7552) HP Service Manager diagnostic report follows:
--- Reportsem ---

[0]System Available count(17)

[1]Application cache Available count(4607)
[2]Shared memory Available count(36026)
[3]IR Expert Available count(24)
[4]Licensing Available count(240)
[5]Resource manager Available count(22901)
[6]User chain Available count(356)
[7]Cache manager Available count(232753)
[8]Database Services Available count(175968)
[9]Alert Services Available count(4523)
[10]Counter Services Available count(20)
Figure 3 Service Manager Semaphore Report

Shared Memory Areas

Not named = User Blocks (area moved)
Every user process allocates a user block of 512 bytes. This block of shared memory contains user specific
information like userid, device, license (specific to the user, such as floating or named license, when last
logged in etc.), and system monitor information.

Messages
Every message that is sent from one user to another is put into the message block section of shared memory.
The amount of shared memory allocated per message depends on the size of the message.

Resource Locks
Resource locks are created whenever the lock application is executed from RAD. For example when a user
edits an incident ticket, a resource lock is created for that ticket. If the ‘show locks’ option from the system
status is selected and you have a vertically-scaled environment, the information on existing locks is taken from
shared memory for all versions of Service Manager. However, in horizontally-scaled environments, the
information is taken from JVM private memory of each node for versions of Service Manager earlier SM 9.31,
or from the database for SM 9.31 and later versions.

Database Services
Tuning statistics regarding executed queries and database access are stored in this area. Statistics indicating
possible performance issues are written to the sc.alert.log.

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Cache Overhead
Contains operators and other system information; It also contains overhead or miscellaneous items that need to
be stored for multi-process access

Application Cache
This area in shared memory holds code records, pre-parsed and split up by panel.

DBDict Cache
This area contains cached Table Definitions (dbdict records) as well as other cached data records such as:
format, link, format control, category, scmessage.

SQL Descriptor Cache

This area in shared memory is used by the RDBMS mapping engine and contains the mapping information
between the dbdict and the RDBMS table definitions.

JOIN/ERD/TYPE Cache
This area contains records from joindef, erddef, scaccess, scmandant and sctypecheck

String Type Cache

This contains the fastcounters data structure, files and fields using counters, cascade delete definitions, cached
charts, list of defined triggers, JavaScript triggers that for ease of Shared Memory storage are wrapped into a
STRING.

JavaScript Members
This area contains information used by or required for JavaScript applications. It does not contain JavaScript
code, but rather information on the current version of the Script member.

IR Expert Cache
This area in shared memory holds the term and document lists used by Service Manager’s IR expert process.

IR Expert and Shared Memory

IR Expert makes extensive use of shared memory and usually represents the largest allocation type. The default
amount of shared memory used by IR is 30% of the total size allocated for shared memory. This percentage
can be adjusted by changing the amount of bytes used for IR in Shared Memory using the ir_max_shared
parameter in the sm.ini file. The optimum size of the cache is the same as the size of all ir.* files added
together.
In general, IR keeps track of all documents that contain search words. The document list for a word is loaded
into shared memory as it is referenced. Subsequent searches on the same word will be much faster because
the first process that ran the search has already loaded the document into shared memory.
If the IR shared memory area is full, Service Manager will remove the least recently used data structure (such as
a term, doc, doc list, term list, adaptive learning) from shared memory to make room for new IR information.
Increasing the overall size of shared memory will only have a performance impact on the IR Expert portion. It
will NOT help with general system performance.

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Horizontal Scaling: Special Considerations
Each horizontally scaled host machine has its own shared memory calculated based on the amount of users
supposed to be running on that machine. The IR expert section has to be added to all machines in the group,
which makes the calculation for each machine:
48 MB + 1 MB per 10 users + IR Size
In the horizontally scaled system messages to users as well as Cache updates on changed cached records are
communicated to all shared memory sections of all host machines in the group.
Locks are not held in shared memory at all in horizontally scaled systems. Locks are handled differently
depending on your version of Service Manager. For versions of Service Manager earlier than Service
Manager 9.31, locks are communicated by using UDP Multicasting between the systems and the locking
information is held in the JVM. For Service Manager 9.31 and later versions, locks are stored in the central
RDBMS. For more information on how locks are managed in Service Manager 9.31, see the Lock
Management topic in the Service Manager Help Server.

Troubleshooting
As soon as less than 25 % of shared memory is unused, it is recommended that the amount of shared memory
be increased by modifying the shared_memory parameter in the sm.ini file. Unused shared memory is the
amount of memory that has never been allocated. The real percentage of available memory is always higher
than what the unused percentage in the Service Manager Shared Memory Report depicts.
Because shared memory can become fragmented, leaving at least 25% of free space is recommended. This
will ensure that fragmentation does not prevent new space from being allocated within the shared memory
area.
The s h a r ed _m em or y _a dd r es s :<m em or y a d d r es s > parameter can be used on all operating systems to
ensure that shared memory allocation is kept in an area that will not interfere with shared libraries, stacks,
heaps or other memory related data structures. You can use this parameter to specify a new address that has
enough contiguous memory for the HP Service Manager process.
If you encounter a shared memory allocation failure, the address that the HP Service Manager process is using
does not have enough contiguous memory. On Windows, the sm.log file lists recommendations for possible
shared_memory_address parameter values. If the debugvmmap parameter is active, the log also contains
a map of virtual memory at the time of the failure.
For more details, see the following Service Manager online help topics:
• Startup parameter: shared_memory_address
• Troubleshooting: Failed to initialize or attach to shared memory environment (Windows only)
Note: The defaults should be working for all platforms. You should only use this parameter when instructed to
do so by HP Customer Support.

Shared Memory Support Information

Shared memory problems can be some of the most difficult to resolve. However, if problems with shared
memory arise, you can contact HP Customer Support with the following information ready to help expedite a
satisfactory solution:
• Detailed description of the issue
• Copies of all Service Manager log files
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 • Copies of any core files that were generated
• Service Manager Shared Memory Report
• Service Manager Semaphore Report

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