Name: ddT132432 Date: 01/10/2002


FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.4.0-beta3"
Java(TM) 2 Runtime Environment, Standard Edition (build 1.4.0-beta3-b84)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.4.0-beta3-b84, mixed mode)

Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]
Service Pack 2

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
The WM_COMPACTING message is sent to all top-level windows
when the system detects more than 12.5 percent of system
time over a 30- to 60-second interval is being spent
compacting memory. This indicates that system memory is
low.
A Java VM could get notified of these messages (by setting
up a hidden window with a message loop on startup), and
upon recieving WM_COMPACTING it could clear all soft
references and perform a full GC after which it would
return all unused heap memory to the system. This way it
would play more nicely with other processes in low memory
situations.
This is especially important when there are several long-
running (presumably server-role) JVMs on the machine;
responding to these messages gives them the ability to
redistribute memory in situations where one JVM has some
empty heap space, the other doesn't and can't allocate more
from the system.

This bug can be reproduced always.
(Review ID: 138148)
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