JDK-4358809 : Change JDK DLL rebasing on win32 to allow larger maximum heap
  • Type: Enhancement
  • Component: hotspot
  • Sub-Component: runtime
  • Affected Version: 1.3.1
  • Priority: P3
  • Status: Closed
  • Resolution: Fixed
  • OS: generic
  • CPU: generic
  • Submitted: 2000-08-02
  • Updated: 2006-02-02
  • Resolved: 2006-02-02
The Version table provides details related to the release that this issue/RFE will be addressed.

Unresolved : Release in which this issue/RFE will be addressed.
Resolved: Release in which this issue/RFE has been resolved.
Fixed : Release in which this issue/RFE has been fixed. The release containing this fix may be available for download as an Early Access Release or a General Availability Release.

To download the current JDK release, click here.
Other Other
1.3.1 ladybirdFixed 1.4.0Fixed
Description
In 1.3.0 win32 the maximum possible heap limit is about 1.2GB, 
although the OS supports 2GB address space per process. This
is caused by the way the JDK DLLs are rebased, and a simple
change will increase the maximum possible heap limit to
1.6 or even 1.9GB.

The rebasing to 0x50000000 is done in rebase.sh in the 1.3 builds.

Detailed explanation below.



In NT4.0 standard, the default per process limit is 2GB (with the upper 
half 2GB address range reserved for the OS). In practice it is a bit
smaller since each thread reserves an address range corresponding to 
its maximum stack size.

NT4.0 Enterprise Edition and Windows 2000 Server supports a 3GB mode 
(with 1GB address range reserved for the OS). Windows 2000 Advanced 
Server supports up to 32GB, then one has to use special "windowing"
APIs to get at the memory.

Both Classic VM and HotSpot VM reserves a contiguous address range for 
the object heap. NT places kernel DLLs in the 0x7 part of the address 
space in both the 2GB and 3GB mode, meaning that NT will only give 
<2 GB of contiguous address space. So 2GB is a hard JVM heap limit

The reason one currently can only get about 1.2GB heap is due to the
way the JDK DLLs are rebased. Microsoft system DLLs start at 0x77000000.
Microsoft recommends an application rebase starting address of 0x60000000. 
Netscape is rebased at 0x60000000, and in order to avoid address 
conflicts for the JVM plugin, a JDK base of 0x50000000 was chosen at
some point (by Anand Palaniswamy, I think).

Here is a dump of the DLL layout for JDK1.3.0 using listdlls.exe

  Base        Size      Path
  0x00400000  0x5000    d:\jdk1.3\bin\java.exe
  0x503f0000  0x10b000  d:\jdk1.3\jre\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll
  0x50220000  0x7000    d:\jdk1.3\jre\bin\hpi.dll
  0x50380000  0xd000    d:\jdk1.3\jre\bin\verify.dll
  0x50250000  0x17000   d:\jdk1.3\jre\bin\java.dll
  0x50390000  0xd000    d:\jdk1.3\jre\bin\zip.dll
  0x6bd00000  0x21000   C:\WINNT\System32\cwbaudll.dll
  0x77f60000  0x5e000   C:\WINNT\System32\ntdll.dll
  0x77dc0000  0x3f000   C:\WINNT\system32\ADVAPI32.dll
  0x77f00000  0x5e000   C:\WINNT\system32\KERNEL32.dll
  0x77e70000  0x54000   C:\WINNT\system32\USER32.dll
  0x77ed0000  0x2c000   C:\WINNT\system32\GDI32.dll
  0x77e10000  0x57000   C:\WINNT\system32\RPCRT4.dll
  0x78000000  0x40000   C:\WINNT\system32\MSVCRT.dll
  0x77fd0000  0x2a000   C:\WINNT\System32\WINMM.dll

So that leaves 0x50000000 - 0x00400000 = 1276MB contiguous address space.

One could rebase everything at, say, 0x6D000000. That will not conflict 
with Netscape and would allow a maximum heap size of 1.6GB on NT.
Run the following command:

  rebase.exe -b 0x6D000000 \jdk1.3\jre\bin\*.dll \jdk1.3\jre\bin\hotspot\jvm.dll

On my NT box that enables using -Xmx1650m. The offending file is now
\WINNT\System32\cwbaudll.dll. I have no idea why that file doesn't 
have a base in the 0x77 range? It is an audio driver of some sort.

Rebasing the JDK dlls to 0x76000000 actually works (although probably not
recommended practice by Microsoft), so if the audio driver wasn't present
we could get -Xmx1900m to work.

rebase.exe is from Microsoft Visual Studio.
listdlls.exe is from http://www.sysinternals.com.

steffen.grarup@eng 2000-08-02

Comments
CONVERTED DATA BugTraq+ Release Management Values COMMIT TO FIX: ladybird merlin-beta merlin-beta2 FIXED IN: ladybird merlin-beta merlin-beta2 INTEGRATED IN: ladybird merlin-beta merlin-beta2
14-06-2004

SUGGESTED FIX john.coomes@eng 2000-11-17 *** ./make/common/Defs-win32.gmk-1.57 Fri Nov 17 18:11:08 2000 --- ./make/common/Defs-win32.gmk Fri Nov 17 18:11:08 2000 *************** *** 216,218 **** --- 216,222 ---- # commands cannot be used in shell invocations before they are defined. OS_VERSION = $(shell $(UNAME) -r) OS_NAME = nt + + # Base address for dll relocation. Above the recommended 0x60000000 to allow + # larger heaps. + REBASE_ADDR = 0x6D000000 *** ./make/common/Release.gmk-1.125 Fri Nov 17 18:11:09 2000 --- ./make/common/Release.gmk Fri Nov 17 18:11:09 2000 *************** *** 218,224 **** ifeq ($(PLATFORM), win32) $(FIND) $(BINDIR) -type f -name '?(*.$(LIBRARY_SUFFIX)|*.ocx)' -print | $(GREP) -v $(DBG_SUFFIX) | $(GREP) -v msvcrt.dll > $(TMPDIR)/rebase.input ! $(REBASE) -b 0x50000000 -R $(BINDIR) -G $(TMPDIR)/rebase.input endif $(ECHO) ">>>Finished making "$@" @ `$(DATE)` ..."; --- 218,224 ---- ifeq ($(PLATFORM), win32) $(FIND) $(BINDIR) -type f -name '?(*.$(LIBRARY_SUFFIX)|*.ocx)' -print | $(GREP) -v $(DBG_SUFFIX) | $(GREP) -v msvcrt.dll > $(TMPDIR)/rebase.input ! $(REBASE) -b $(REBASE_ADDR) -R $(BINDIR) -G $(TMPDIR)/rebase.input endif $(ECHO) ">>>Finished making "$@" @ `$(DATE)` ...";
11-06-2004

PUBLIC COMMENTS .
10-06-2004

EVALUATION rebasing has moved to make/common/Release.gmk dale.mcduffie@Eng 2000-10-04
04-10-2000