What is the -hardlimit client startup parameter?

What is the -hardlimit client startup parameter?
How does -hardlimit work?
Information about -hardlimit parameter
What happens when the hardlimit memory restriction is breached?
Why does the client crash with error 5411 

Progress version 7 introduced Client Session parameters that have 'soft limits' which do not raise a System Error when they are exceeded. Instead, the AVM tries to manage the application within the set parameter limits. When the AVM requires more space in the buffer and cannot regain enough space for example by swapping inactive segments to the client-temp file, the AVM allocates more memory. When more memory resources are needed for, a Warning message is raised and the current size is dynamically increased without raising a system error.

There are times when the memory allocation for continues to grow until the process crashes.  In which case it is possible to restrict startup parameters that would otherwise be soft limits Client Session parameters to adhere to a specified memory size limit, by starting the session with the -hardlimit startup parameter introduced in Progress 8. When using the -hardlimit startup parameter:

• -hardlimit enforces all soft-limit parameters: 

1. Nested Blocks (-nb), maximum number of nested procedure blocks
2. Local Buffer Size (-l), size of the local record buffers in 1KB units
3. Maximum Memory (-mmax), memory allocated for r-code segments in 1KB units
4. Directory Size (-D), number of compiled procedure and include procedure directory entries (rcode) 

• Progress issues the WARNING message when exceeding the limit set by any of the -l, -D, -nb or -mmax parameters unless -noincrwarn  it used, as it does without the enforced hardlimit :

1. WARNING: -nb exceeded. Automatically increasing from <old value> to <new value>. (5407)
2. WARNING: -l exceeded. Automatically increasing from <old value> to <new value>. (5408)
3. WARNING: -mmax exceeded. Automatically increasing from <old value> to <new value>. (5409)
4. WARNING: -D exceeded. Automatically increasing from <old value> to <new value>. (5410)

• When the resource limit is hit and -hardlimit is in force, an untrappable STOP condition is raised; this undoes any active transaction in the client. When the hard limit is exceeded, in addition to the Warning message, error 5411 is raised:
  Resource limit reached. Raising untrappable STOP condition. (5411)  

  

 

References to Other Documentation:

OpenEdge Deployment: Startup Command and Parameter Reference, "Startup Parameter Descriptions > Hardlimit (-hardlimit)"
https://documentation.progress.com/output/ua/OpenEdge_latest/index.html#page/dpspr%2Fhardlimit-(-hardlimit).html