Symptoms

JIRA crashes or behaves unpredictably. Logs contain errors like:

 
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space 

Cause

Occasionally people write their own services, which can cause memory problems if (as is often the case) they iterate over large numbers of issues.

The CVS service is an example of one service that can cause memory problems, if used with a huge CVS repository (in this case, simply increase the allocated memory).

A symptom of a CVS (or general services-related) problem is that JIRA will run out of memory just minutes after startup.

Resolution

1. As a temporary measure, increase JIRA's Heap Space allocation.
2. From Admin >> Services, check for any services other than the usual.
3. If you have any custom services, please try disabling it as a test, to eliminate as a cause of problems.