Memory Leak -- Big

There is a big memory leak in URB server: current version and the one current when I started using it last summer. I thought I’d just wait for everyone else to report the problem and for it then to be fixed. However, nobody else seems to have noticed it. ???

I have a server dedicated to URB and it runs pretty much nothing else: SBS2011 with 12GB RAM. When the server’s re-booted (with half a dozen clients – not sure whether the number of clients makes a significant difference), it takes only about four hours for all of the system’s memory to be consumed. If I stop the URB server service as soon as the machine boots up, the memory usage stays at about 3 GB – for as long as the machine, but not the service, is running. Re-starting the URB service, of course, doesn’t return any useable memory to the heap.

The machine doesn’t actually crash but it c-r-a-w-l-s and has to be restarted if it becomes necessary to perform any sort of admin function.

While I think this software is great, in principle, I don’t think I can continue to use it indefinitely with all the re-booting that’s required.

I came back to see whether anyone had reported any prob, yet, and noticed the Martin item re: Internet clients. It’s important to state, here, that all of my client machines are on the LAN.

Please would you have a look and see whether you can fix this issue: I may be the only one to have reported it but I suspect there must be a lot of others who have the problem?

Thank you for all your work on this software, which, other than the leak, is very useful.

If the memory is not freed if you restart the service it is not a urbackup leak, but an operating system issue. You can see the amount of memory the UrBackup server is using in the “private memory” column in the task manager.

In the other case we have used sysinternals RAMMap to find out that most of the memory is used by the “Metafile” system cache. There is a microsoft issue http://support.microsoft.com/kb/976618 for that. Your operating system is not listed there, but can you use RAMMap to look what is using your memory?

A workaround would be manually limiting the filesystem cache size https://serverfault.com/questions/325277/windows-server-2008-r2-metafile-ram-usage/527466#527466

I am undecided, if this cache limiting should take place in UrBackup as it applies globally. I am, however, taking steps to reduce the number of necessary file operations per incremental backup.

I’ve been experiencing similar issues with UrBackup recently. When running a network backup, the server’s RAM fills up to the point where the system is unusable…

I investigated and really narrowed it down to when UrBackup is doing a backup. Has been working fine for over a year but the issue started with version 1.4.8. Restarting the service doesnt do any good.

Using RAMmap, i’ve noticed the RAM fills non-paged pool until then system hangs… It might not be a leak directly in UrBackup but the application does somehow create memory issues.

I ignore how to fix it or where to search next to solve this so for now, UrBackup has been stopped on my network.

edit: I confirm by tracing the process, its a leak caused by a network device (bridge.sys) during large file transfers. It is common for bad drivers to leak during such operations.

Thanks for finding out the root cause. I guess there is nothing that can be done on UrBackup’s side.