# Error: Cannot allocate memory **URL:** \ **Category:** Logstash\ **Created:** [December 2, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-cannot-allocate-memory/257423 "2020-12-02T22:36:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![manunc](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/manunc/32/48340_2.png) [@manunc](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/manunc)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-cannot-allocate-memory/257423/1 "2020-12-02T22:36:47Z")
Hello, I am faced to an issue since a long time without finding the solution. I have a dedicated server with 12 Gb RAM but I can only allocate to Logstash 2Gb otherwise the process fall into an error. It seems linked to an output plugin (exec output plugin): `[2020-12-03T09:30:03,959][ERROR][logstash.javapipeline][hypervisor] Pipeline worker error, the pipeline will be stopped {:pipeline_id=>"hypervisor", :error=>"(ENOMEM) Cannot allocate memory - /usr/bin/dtach -n /tmp/e8cadd0f-6dc8-421e-9b53-efad6d809b4f -Ez /etc/logstash/conf.d/scripts/elm-process-alm-mineops-ev.sh -H=EM-11864 -o=\"SITE:MN - ZONE:CP5->CP6 - EM:41 Km/h - LIMIT:40 Km/h - DELTA:+<> Km/h - DATE:<>\"", :exception=>Java::OrgJrubyExceptions::SystemCallError, :backtrace=>["org.jruby.RubyProcess.spawn(org/jruby/RubyProcess.java:1651)", "org.jruby.RubyKernel.spawn(org/jruby/RubyKernel.java:1658)", "uri_3a_classloader_3a_.META_minus_INF.jruby_dot_home.lib.ruby.stdlib.open3.popen_run(uri:classloader:/META-INF/jruby.home/lib/ruby/stdlib/open3.rb:202)", "uri_3a_classloader_3a_.META_minus_INF.jruby_dot_home.lib.ruby.stdlib.open3.popen3(uri:classloader:/META-INF/jruby.home/lib/ruby/stdlib/open3.rb:98)", "usr.share.logstash.vendor.bundle.jruby.$2_dot_5_dot_0.gems.logstash_minus_output_minus_exec_minus_3_dot_1_dot_4.lib.logstash.outputs.exec.receive(/usr/share/logstash/vendor/bundle/jruby/2.5.0/gems/logstash-output-exec-3.1.4/lib/logstash/outputs/exec.rb:51)", "usr.share.logstash.logstash_minus_core.lib.logstash.outputs.base.multi_receive(/usr/share/logstash/logstash-core/lib/logstash/outputs/base.rb:105)", "org.jruby.RubyArray.each(org/jruby/RubyArray.java:1809)", "usr.share.logstash.logstash_minus_core.lib.logstash.outputs.base.multi_receive(/usr/share/logstash/logstash-core/lib/logstash/outputs/base.rb:105)", "org.logstash.config.ir.compiler.OutputStrategyExt$AbstractOutputStrategyExt.multi_receive(org/logstash/config/ir/compiler/OutputStrategyExt.java:138)", "org.logstash.config.ir.compiler.AbstractOutputDelegatorExt.multi_receive(org/logstash/config/ir/compiler/AbstractOutputDelegatorExt.java:121)", "usr.share.logstash.logstash_minus_core.lib.logstash.java_pipeline.start_workers(/usr/share/logstash/logstash-core/lib/logstash/java_pipeline.rb:293)"], :thread=>"#"}` How to solve this ? I tried using 'dtach' as you can see but the same issue happen Config: Logstash, Elasticsearch, Kibana version 7.9.1 ---
**Author:** ![Badger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/badger/32/25190_2.png) [@Badger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-cannot-allocate-memory/257423/2 "2020-12-02T22:58:45Z")
I run logstash with a 400MB heap, and the virtual size of the process is 2.8 GB. With a 2GB heap it would be well over 4 GB. When an exec input or output runs the process forks, so the memory usage would briefly be around 9 GB. You are not going to be able to give it much more memory if you only have 12 GB on the server. ---
**Author:** ![manunc](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/manunc/32/48340_2.png) [@manunc](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/manunc)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-cannot-allocate-memory/257423/3 "2020-12-02T23:06:23Z")
> [@Badger](#): > > process forks Thanks for your fast response, so the behavior is normal in this case. Because I can not rise the RAM, I should see if I can output the data without using the fork process. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2020, 11:06pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-cannot-allocate-memory/257423/4 "2020-12-30T23:06:45Z")
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