The default JVM parameters are not optimal for running large applications. Any insights from people who have tuned it on a real application would be helpful. We are running the application on a 32-bit windows machine, where the client JVM is used by default. We have added -server and changed the NewRatio to 1:3 (A larger young generation).
Any other parameters/tuning which you have tried and found useful?
[Update] The specific type of application I’m talking about is a server application that are rarely shutdown, taking at least -Xmx1024m. Also assume that the application is profiled already. I’m looking for general guidelines in terms of JVM performance only.
There are great quantities of that information around.
First, profile the code before tuning the JVM.
Second, read the JVM documentation carefully; there are a lot of sort of ‘urban legends’ around. For example, the -server flag only helps if the JVM is staying resident and running for some time; -server ‘turns up’ the JIT/HotSpot, and that needs to have many passes through the same path to get turned up. -server, on the other hand, slows initial execution of the JVM, as there’s more setup time.
There are several good books and websites around. See, for example, http://www.javaperformancetuning.com/