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java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: unable to create new native thread

Posted by Kylin Soong on Sep 26, 2015 categorized as java

Today I have encountered the ‘java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: unable to create new native thread’ when using the JMeter in a Performance Benchmark Test, the detailed stack strace:

java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: unable to create new native thread
        at java.lang.Thread.start0(Native Method)
        at java.lang.Thread.start(Thread.java:714)

This article will give a Resolution how to fix this issue.

Java version used in my test:

$ java -version
java version "1.8.0_25"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_25-b17)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.25-b02, mixed mode)

OS used in my test:

$ uname -a
Linux ksoong.redhat.com 3.11.10-301.fc20.x86_64 #1 SMP Thu Dec 5 14:01:17 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Why Error Throw

  • Native virtual memory (address space) exhaustion and/or fragmentation.
  • The open file limit imposed by the OS has been reached. In Java, every socket is a file.
  • The maximum number of processes per user (ulimit -u) limits the number of threads.
  • The number of sockets exceeds the open file limit (ulimit -n).
  • The JVM process size is hitting the configured max memory size limit (ulimit -m).

How to Resolve