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Edit the bb-config.properties file

  1. Open the bb-config.properties file in the following directory:

    UNIX:
    %/usr/local/blackboard_directory/config

    Windows:
    C:\blackboard_directory\config

  2. Edit the parameters using the information provided in the appropriate Performance Optimization section or as shown in the following table.
  3. Save and close the file.
  4. Update the configuration by running the PushConfigUpdates command.

    UNIX
    %/usr/local/blackboard_directory/tools/admin/PushConfigUpdates.sh

    Windows
    C:\blackboard_directory\tools\admin\PushConfigUpdates.bat

Optimization parameters in bb-config.properties

Optimization Parameters in bb-config.properties
Parameter Name Description
bbconfig.appserver.minthreads Minimum number of threads created for Tomcat
bbconfig.appserver.maxthreads Maximum number of threads allocated to Tomcat for 64-bit 4 GB RAM in the JVM heap space. This setting limits the number of requests that can be simultaneously processed by Tomcat. Deviating from the suggested maximum setting can have serious repercussions when searching for users and courses with minimal filtering. To learn more, see Sizing the Maximum Thread Count.
bbconfig.min.heap size.tomcat Minimum heap size allocated to the Tomcat JVM
bbconfig.max.perm size.tomcat Maximum perm space allocated to the Tomcat JVM
bbconfig.max.stack size.tomcat Stack size for each thread in the Tomcat JVM
bbconfig.jvm.options.extra.tomcat Additional settings used to configure the JVM. To learn more, see Using Non-Standard (-XX) JVM Arguments.

bbconfig.jvm.options.codecache.reserved=240m

bbconfig.jvm.options.codecache.initial=128m

 Increase code cache settings for Tomcat JVM to meet Java 8 default performance requirements.
bbconfig.database.instance.maxpoolsize Maximum number of connections waiting to serve database requests

The BBLEARN (legacy: BB_BB60) connection pool is the primary database connection pool interface for the Blackboard schema in Tomcat. Blackboard recommends that this value be sized conservatively based on need and usage. Start with a maximum value of 100, and then increase the maximum size as the Tomcat application threads increase.

Optimally, this value should be equal to, but not greater than, the bbconfig.appserver.maxthreads parameter setting.

JDBC connection consumption is a symptom of a performance issue or degradation. Increasing the JDBC connection count will not always solve a performance issue. Performance issues should be diagnosed with care and accuracy and identify bottlenecks at their source.
bbconfig.database.instance.minpoolsize Number of connections waiting to serve database requests
bbconfig.database.instance.mssql.initpoolsize Initial number of connections waiting to serve database requests for SQL Server
bbconfig.database.instance.timeout Time window in which database transactions must be processed before a timeout occurs

bbconfig.jvm.options.default.url.connection.timeout

 Control the default timeouts for connections initiated by java in both core code and in B2s.

bbconfig.jvm.options.default.url.read.timeout

 Control the default timeouts for connections initiated by java in both core code and in B2s.

bbconfig.unix.max.open.files

Previously, the parameter was specified at 5000. We suggest this value be increased to 30,000 using the following command: ulimit -n 30000. Root privileges are required to change this setting.