Sun Java Virtual Machines 1.4.2 and beyond create hsperfdata_userid directories to store performance information for use by Java performance tools such as jvmstat. These hsperfdata_userid directories are created in the temporary file directory of the system where they are running. On UNIX systems, the temporary directory is governed by the TMP environment variable. On Windows, the environment variable is TMP and/or TEMP.

Note: IBM JVMs used on z/OS and AIX do not create hsperfdata_ userid directories.

hsperfdata_userid directories may be troublesome for administrators of Windows and UNIX systems, either because they are not automatically cleaned up, or in some cases because users do not have write access to the temporary directory. Sun (now Oracle Corporation) has declared this to be a bug (see Sun Bug: 5012932), and has proposed that if the hsperfdata_userid is a problem, then Java users can use the undocumented option
-XX:-UsePerfData to disable the perfdata feature and suppress the creation of the hsperfdata_userid directories[^†]. Alternatively, customers could set TMP to map to an alternate, writable location.

In SAS® Foundation, the most straightforward way to turn off the creation of hsperfdata_userid directories is to add the -XX:-UsePerfData option to the JRE options in the SAS configuration file. Steps to follow are provided below.

Windows

1. Locate the sasv9.cfg in the SAS installation directory, !SASROOT.
   
2. Open this file using a text editor such as Notepad and locate the option -JREOPTIONS.
   
3. On a new line after the last line of this option, add these lines:
   
   /* Suppress JVM performance data collection */
   -JREOPTIONS (-XX:-UsePerfData)
   
   Sample entry:
   -JREOPTIONS=(-Dsas.jre.home=C:\PROGRA~1\SAS\SHARED~1\JRE\1499C1~1.2_0 -Djava.security.policy=!SASROOT\core\sasmisc\sas.policy -Dsas.app.class.dirs=!SASROOT\core\sasmisc;C:\PROGRA~1\SAS\SHARED~1\applets\9.1 -Dsas.jre=private -Dsas.ext.config=!SASROOT\core\sasmisc\sas.java.ext.config -DPFS_TEMPLATE=!SASROOT\core\sasmisc\qrpfstpt.xml -Djava.class.path=!SASROOT\core\sasmisc\sas.launcher.jar -Djava.system.class.loader=com.sas.app.AppClassLoader)
   
   /* Suppress JVM performance data collection */
   -JREOPTIONS (-XX:-UsePerfData)
   
   
4. Save the sasv9.cfg file.
   
5. From within a SAS session or a SAS® Enterprise Guide session, verify that the new JRE option is being picked up by submitting this step:
   proc options option=jreoptions;
   run;

UNIX

1. Locate the sasv9_local.cfg file in the SAS installation directory, !SASROOT.
   
2. Using a text editor such as vi, add these lines:
   
   /* Suppress JVM performance data collection */
   -JREOPTIONS (-XX:-UsePerfData)
   
   
3. Save the sasv9_local.cfg file.
   
4. From within a SAS session or a SAS Enterprise Guide session, verify that the new JRE option is being picked up by submitting this step:
   proc options option=jreoptions;
   run;

[†] Oracle Corporation maintains that the hsperfdata_userid directories are needed, and has left the decision whether or not to prevent their creation to its customers.

Operating System and Release Information

Product Family	Product	System	Product Release		SAS Release
			Reported	Fixed*	Reported	Fixed*
SAS System	Java Runtime Environment (SAS Private Version) - Volume 3	Microsoft® Windows® for 64-Bit Itanium-based Systems	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter 64-bit Edition	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise 64-bit Edition	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Server	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows NT Workstation	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Microsoft Windows XP Professional	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Windows Vista	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Windows Vista for x64	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		64-bit Enabled Solaris	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		HP-UX IPF	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4
		Solaris for x64	1.4.2		9.1 TS1M3 SP4

* For software releases that are not yet generally available, the Fixed Release is the software release in which the problem is planned to be fixed.

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hsperfdata_userid directories can sometimes be troublesome for administrators of Windows and UNIX systems, who would like them to be cleaned up.

Type:	Installation Note
Priority:	medium

Date Modified:	2010-08-05 14:55:00
Date Created:	2010-05-13 14:51:03