Memory leak log messages in Tomcat

Solution Verified - Updated -

Issue

  • The following memory leak entry in tomcat logs:
org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearReferencesThreads
SEVERE: A web application appears to have started a thread named [Business Objects - Sessions Clean up] but has failed to stop it. This is very likely to create a memory leak.
org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearReferencesThreads
SEVERE: A web application appears to have started a thread named [Timer-1] but has failed to stop it. This is very likely to create a memory leak.
org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearThreadLocalMap
SEVERE: A web application created a ThreadLocal with key of type [org.aspectj.runtime.internal.cflowstack.ThreadStackFactoryImpl.ThreadCounterImpl] (value [org.aspectj.runtime.internal.cflowstack.ThreadStackFactoryImpl$ThreadCounterImpl@42c5898a]) and a value of type [org.aspectj.runtime.internal.cflowstack.ThreadStackFactoryImpl.ThreadCounterImpl.Counter] (value [org.aspectj.runtime.internal.cflowstack.ThreadStackFactoryImpl$ThreadCounterImpl$Counter@36c8e545]) but failed to remove it when the web application was stopped. To prevent a memory leak, the ThreadLocal has been forcibly removed.
org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol destroy
  • The following WARN entry in tomcat logs:
org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearReferencesThreads
SEVERE: A web application appears to have started a thread named [http-8080-8] but has failed to stop it. This is very likely to create a memory leak.

org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader clearReferencesThreads
SEVERE: A web application appears to have started a thread named [http-8080-7] but has failed to stop it. This is very likely to create a memory leak.

WARNING: Failed to clear ThreadLocal references 
 java.lang.NoSuchFieldException: threadLocals
   at java.lang.Class.getDeclaredField(libgcj.so.10)
   at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.clearReferencesThreadLocals(WebappClassLoader.java:2009)
   at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.clearReferences(WebappClassLoader.java:1709)
   at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.stop(WebappClassLoader.java:1621)
   at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappLoader.stop(WebappLoader.java:710)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContext.stop(StandardContext.java:4649)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.removeChild(ContainerBase.java:924)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.undeployApps(HostConfig.java:1319)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.stop(HostConfig.java:1290)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.HostConfig.lifecycleEvent(HostConfig.java:323)
   at org.apache.catalina.util.LifecycleSupport.fireLifecycleEvent(LifecycleSupport.java:119)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.stop(ContainerBase.java:1086)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.ContainerBase.stop(ContainerBase.java:1098)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngine.stop(StandardEngine.java:448)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardService.stop(StandardService.java:584)
   at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardServer.stop(StandardServer.java:744)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.stop(Catalina.java:643)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.Catalina.start(Catalina.java:618)
   at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(libgcj.so.10)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.start(Bootstrap.java:289)
   at org.apache.catalina.startup.Bootstrap.main(Bootstrap.java:414)

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
    • Tomcat 6
  • JBoss Enterprise Web Server (EWS) 1.0.1 onwards
    • Tomcat 6
  • JBoss Enterprise Web Server (EWS) 2.x
    • Tomcat 6
    • Tomcat 7
  • JBoss Enterprise Web Server (JWS) 3.x
    • Tomcat 7
    • Tomcat 8
  • JBoss Enterprise Web Server (JWS) 5.x
    • Tomcat 9

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