Maximizing Efficiency with Boomi Process Object Slow Finalize

In performance benchmarking scenarios, it is crucial that the finalize() method of? any object runs efficiently and optimally for several reasons:

Resource Cleanup: The finalize() method is often used for resource cleanup and releasing acquired resources. In the context of threads, it may involve releasing locks, closing file handles, releasing memory, or other cleanup tasks. If the finalize() method is inefficient, it can lead to delays in resource reclamation, potentially causing resource leaks or excessive resource consumption.

Garbage Collection Overhead: The finalize() method is invoked by the garbage collector before reclaiming the memory occupied by an object. If the finalize() method takes too long to execute, it can prolong the object’s presence in memory, delaying its collection and increasing the memory footprint of the application. This can impact overall garbage collection performance and increase pause times, especially in systems with large heaps.

System Responsiveness: In scenarios where threads are frequently created and destroyed, inefficient finalize() methods can impact system responsiveness. Delayed cleanup can lead to accumulation of unused resources, degradation of system performance, and increased response times for user requests or other system operations.

Predictable Performance: In performance benchmarking, it is essential to have predictable and consistent performance characteristics. An inefficient finalize() method can introduce variability in execution times, making it difficult to establish reliable performance benchmarks and analyze performance metrics accurately.

Scalability: In multi-threaded applications or systems handling high concurrency, inefficient finalize() methods can impact scalability. Bottlenecks caused by long-running finalize() methods can limit the scalability of the application, preventing it from effectively utilizing available hardware resources and handling increased workloads.

Boomi slow finalize() simulation

We can implement our performance test to simulate a slow finalize condition within Boomi , a popular no-code/low code middleware. In order to simulate the slow finalize scenario we need to make use of a simple open source chaos engineering application called BuggyApp . We need to build a process that ultimately invokes the BuggyApp JAR and execute the process to simulate the slow finalize condition.

The BuggyApp simulates the slow finalize scenario by instantiating a new object called Object1. Object1 has its finalize() method overwritten with a Thread.sleep for 180,000 ms.?

Within the Dell Boomi Process, we need to create a process that has three shapes/steps:?

1. A start shape, with no significance other than the start of the process.
2. A data process shape which calls the below custom groovy script invoking the BuggyApp class.
3. Finally, a stop shape which terminates the process successfully.

We use the below script in a data process shape to simulate the slow finalize scenario within Boomi:

import java.util.Properties;
import java.io.InputStream;
import com.buggyapp.slowfinalize.SlowFinalizeDemo;

for( int i = 0; i < dataContext.getDataCount(); i++ ) {
    InputStream is = dataContext.getStream(i);
    Properties props = dataContext.getProperties(i);

    SlowFinalizeDemo.start();

    dataContext.storeStream(is, props);
}
        

yCrash root cause analysis tool for Boomi

In order to monitor the performance of the application, I have selected yCrash to help. The yCrash agent must be installed in order to report back performance metrics to the yCrash receiver/dashboard. To install the yCrash, follow these instructions .?

Boomi Process Execution

The process executed with a heap space allocation failure.

Mar 26, 2024 8:31:21 AM EDT SEVERE  [com.boomi.process.ProcessExecution handleProcessFailure] Unexpected error executing process: java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space
java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space        

Heap space issue was reported in the logs by Boomi. Unfortunately, this error exception does not accurately depict the scenario that we generated.

yCrash Diagnostics

Because the output from Boomi exception handling was ambiguous at best, I decided to switch over to yCrash to see if it can provide any enhanced error diagnostics. In an effective manner, yCrash identified the slow finalize method and indicated that it was causing slower GC times.

Here’s the report produced for your reference. I was able to learn further information about the slow finalize method by clicking into the thread report:

Above excerpt from the report shows the stack trace of the Finalizer thread. Finalizer thread is a JVM thread which executes all the finalize() methods in the application. Stack trace showed the exact lines of code causing the slowdown. Equipped with this information one can easily isolate the memory problems that are triggered due to the slow finalize() methods.

Conclusion

In conclusion, detecting slow finalize() methods is paramount in performance benchmarking for several reasons. Firstly, these methods are crucial for resource cleanup and memory management, making their efficiency essential for preventing resource leaks and excessive resource consumption. Secondly, delays in executing finalize() methods can prolong the presence of objects in memory, leading to increased garbage collection overhead and degraded system responsiveness. Thirdly, efficient finalize() methods contribute to predictable performance characteristics, allowing for reliable performance benchmarking and accurate analysis of performance metrics. Moreover, in high-concurrency and multi-threaded environments, detecting slow finalize() methods is crucial for maintaining scalability and ensuring optimal utilization of hardware resources. By identifying and optimizing slow finalize() methods, developers can enhance application performance, improve resource management, and facilitate the development of scalable and responsive systems.

In this study, we explored the implementation of a slow finalize simulation within Boomi, a no-code/low-code middleware, using the BuggyApp. The simulation revealed at the surface a heap memory issue. yCrash, a performance monitoring tool, successfully detected and reported the slow finalize method, providing valuable insights into the root cause of slow GC times.