# Invalid initial heap size **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [August 7, 2018, 7:00am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248 "2018-08-07T07:00:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/21 "2018-09-13T12:19:44Z")
Here you can see the values after a clean system reboot: ``` total used free shared buff/cache available Mem: 11G 170M 11G 8.8M 143M 11G Swap: 8.0G 0B 8.0G ``` ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:31pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/22 "2018-09-13T12:31:18Z")
Great, is it possible to see where the heap maxes out? Like increasing it from 3.5G by adding 500MB until it crashes? I am interested to see what is the maximum heap size allowed. ---
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 12:34pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/23 "2018-09-13T12:34:43Z")
I attempt to increase the heap to 3.5GB but it crashes there with the message: ``` Sep 13 14:31:35 elk systemd[1]: Started Elasticsearch. Sep 13 14:31:35 elk systemd[1]: Starting Elasticsearch... Sep 13 14:31:37 elk elasticsearch[2389]: Invalid initial heap size: -Xms3.5g Sep 13 14:31:37 elk systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE Sep 13 14:31:37 elk systemd[1]: Unit elasticsearch.service entered failed state. Sep 13 14:31:37 elk systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service failed. ``` ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:07pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/24 "2018-09-13T13:07:26Z")
OK this is probably either the system takes some cache and won't allow the JVM to take the heap or the host which your VM is on it won't give you exactly 11GB. Do you manage the Hypervisor? Can you look at the VM configs? ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:08pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/25 "2018-09-13T13:08:19Z")
Oh wait! this didn't say the maximum amount being exceeded. Can you please try the 4G? I want to make sure the (.) is not the problem here. ---
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:16pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/26 "2018-09-13T13:16:55Z")
Here the output of the console: ``` Sep 13 15:15:08 elk systemd[1]: Started Elasticsearch. Sep 13 15:15:08 elk systemd[1]: Starting Elasticsearch... Sep 13 15:15:11 elk elasticsearch[1617]: Invalid initial heap size: -Xms4g Sep 13 15:15:11 elk elasticsearch[1617]: The specified size exceeds the maximum representable size. Sep 13 15:15:11 elk elasticsearch[1617]: Error: Could not create the Java Virtual Machine. Sep 13 15:15:11 elk systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE Sep 13 15:15:11 elk systemd[1]: Unit elasticsearch.service entered failed state. Sep 13 15:15:11 elk systemd[1]: elasticsearch.service failed. ``` ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/27 "2018-09-13T13:50:10Z")
With what the system takes from memory I thought 4G should be OK. Then the only thing I can say is either system reserve some memory apart from what it uses which makes it around 4GB and it gives you less than 3.5G or the host is not really giving you 11G. ---
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 5:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/28 "2018-09-14T05:41:10Z")
So you think either the VM is not correctly configured (the system host has not that much RAM) or the linux system is taking the RAM so I can not add RAM to the elasticsearch JVM. ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 6:22am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/29 "2018-09-14T06:22:33Z")
That is the only conclusion I can come up with. Unfortunately, when the memory is that low it is hard to separate kernel memory/cache from free memory. ---
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 12:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/30 "2018-09-14T12:03:39Z")
Is it possible that elasticsearch can not handle a server which has an odd number of RAM? ---
**Author:** ![maziyar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/maziyar/32/18423_2.png) [@maziyar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/maziyar)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 12:15pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/31 "2018-09-14T12:15:19Z")
I really don't think this has anything to do with Elasticsearch. This is all JVM trying to access and reserve the amount of memory you assign and for some reasons it can't get a hold over that amount. ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/christian_dahlqvist/32/4617_2.png) [@Christian\_Dahlqvist](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Christian_Dahlqvist)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 12:26pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/32 "2018-09-14T12:26:44Z")
What is in the Elasticsearch logs? As you seem to have swap configured, is it possible you are hitting one of the bootstrap checks? ---
**Author:** ![PolterFox](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/polterfox/32/29781_2.png) [@PolterFox](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/PolterFox)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2018, 2:43pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/33 "2018-09-14T14:43:06Z")
Problem solved! Solution: the wrong java version was installed. On the system was the 32bit version installed which can not handle 4GB RAM. So thanks for all reply´s! Best regards, Robert! ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 2:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/invalid-initial-heap-size/143248/34 "2018-10-12T14:56:12Z")
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