BigMemory enables you to extend a cache beyond the local JVM heap. When you configure a cache to use BigMemory, a portion of the cache resides within the heap and a portion resides “off heap.” The off-heap portion of the cache resides within the JVM process memory, but outside of the JVM heap.

Because a BigMemory cache resides off heap, it is not subject to the JVM garbage collection process and, consequently, it performs more predictably and consistently. For large caches, BigMemory generally delivers better performance than a heap-based cache. Moreover, from an administrative point of view, caches that use BigMemory are easier to manage, because they do not need to be tuned for garbage collection.

Using BigMemory, you can create much larger caches than with on-heap memory alone. Unlike on-heap caches, which are constrained by the limitations on heap size, BigMemory enables you to use up to a terabyte of memory for caching.

To use BigMemory, your Integration Server must be equipped with a Terracotta license from Software AG.

For more information about configuring a cache to use BigMemory, see Configuring a BigMemory Cache.