How To Fix RT061 - Percentage of Swap Space used

SAP Error Message - Details

• Message type: E = Error

• Message class: RT - Monitoring infrastructure MSG and alert texts

• Message number: 061

• Message text: Percentage of Swap Space used

What causes this issue?

This monitoring tree element reports on the amount of swap space in
percent that is available in a particular host system.
Swap space is the amount of disk storage available for swapping or
paging out data from main memory. Because of its high-performance
memory management design, the SAP system makes intensive use of swap
space.

System Response

The system issues an error message and will not allow you to continue with this transaction until the error is resolved.

How to fix this error?

A swap space alert means that swap space is becoming critically short in
your system. Exhausting swap space in a system that is hosting an SAP
application server causes severe problems in the system. There should
always be a minimum of 100 MB of free swap space on a system that is
hosting an application server or database.
See the memory management documentation (Help -> SAP Library, SAP
NetWeaver -> Application Platform -> ABAP Technology -> Client/Server
Technology -> SAP Memory Management) for help in preventing and
correcting swap space problems.

Error message extract from SAP system. Copyright SAP SE.

Smart SAP Assistant

• What is the cause and solution for SAP error message RT061 - Percentage of Swap Space used ?

  The SAP error message RT061, which indicates that the percentage of swap space used has exceeded a certain threshold, typically arises in environments where SAP applications are running on systems with limited memory resources. This can lead to performance issues and instability in the SAP system.
  Cause:
  
  Insufficient Physical Memory: The system may not have enough physical RAM to handle the workload, causing the operating system to use swap space more frequently.
  High Memory Consumption: Applications or processes running on the server may be consuming more memory than expected, leading to increased swap usage.
  Configuration Issues: Incorrect configuration of the SAP system or the underlying operating system can lead to inefficient memory usage.
  Memory Leaks: Some applications may have memory leaks, causing them to consume more memory over time without releasing it.
  
  Solution:
  
  Increase Physical Memory: If possible, add more RAM to the server to reduce reliance on swap space.
  Optimize SAP Configuration: Review and optimize the SAP memory parameters (e.g., abap/heap_area_total, abap/heap_area_dia, etc.) to ensure efficient memory usage.
  Monitor and Manage Processes: Use monitoring tools to identify processes that are consuming excessive memory and take appropriate action (e.g., optimizing code, terminating unnecessary processes).
  Check for Memory Leaks: Investigate and resolve any memory leaks in custom code or third-party applications.
  Adjust Swap Space Configuration: If increasing physical memory is not an option, consider adjusting the swap space configuration to provide more virtual memory.
  Regular Maintenance: Perform regular system maintenance, including clearing caches and optimizing database performance, to reduce memory consumption.
  
  Related Information:
  
  Monitoring Tools: Use tools like SAP Solution Manager, OS monitoring tools (e.g., top, vmstat, or specific SAP transaction codes like ST06) to monitor memory usage and swap space.
  SAP Notes: Check SAP Notes related to memory management and performance tuning for specific recommendations and best practices.
  Operating System Settings: Review the operating system's swap space settings and consider adjusting them based on the workload and memory requirements of the SAP system.
  Documentation: Refer to SAP documentation for guidelines on memory management and performance optimization.
  
  By addressing the underlying causes and implementing the suggested solutions, you can mitigate the RT061 error and improve the overall performance and stability of your SAP system.