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hrOutOfMemory
Diagnostic focus
hrOutOfMemory means ESE or its caller could not reserve memory required for the operation.
This is the legacy Directory Service backup/restore HRESULT form of JET_errOutOfMemory (0xC80003F3).
The key comparison is: hrOutOfBuffers concerns the page cache and hrVersionStoreOutOfMemory concerns version pages, while this result is broader. The first useful observation is to collect process commit, working set, system commit limit, allocation size, and concurrent ESE activity at the first failure. This evidence identifies the exhausted pool so a leak, long transaction, concurrency spike, and hard capacity limit are not confused.
The ESE objects in play
| Diagnostic layer | bounded engine, process, and storage resources |
|---|---|
| Typical API surface | instance system parameters, sessions, cursors, temporary tables, database attachment, and file growth |
| Code-specific condition | ESE or its caller could not reserve memory required for the operation |
| First corrective direction | lower concurrency or memory pressure, verify configured cache limits, and retry only after capacity changes |
Resource codes should be tied to the exact exhausted pool rather than treated as generic low memory. Long transactions can retain versions and indirectly amplify memory and log pressure.
Evidence that resolves the ambiguity
- relevant JET_param values and process or system capacity at first failure; associate it with this result rather than with a later generic exception.
- the oldest transaction, longest-held cursor, or file growth operation retaining the resource.
- live resource counts grouped by session and request owner.
Nearby results that mean something different
hrOutOfFileHandles | the engine could not obtain another operating-system file handle for database work |
|---|---|
hrOutOfSessions | the instance cannot allocate another JET_SESID |
hrOutOfDatabaseSpace | the database reached an engine-imposed growth ceiling rather than merely a full volume |
A disciplined correction path
- Freeze the failing request context and record
0xC80003F3, the Jet API name, and the current instance/session ownership. - Apply the targeted fix: lower concurrency or memory pressure, verify configured cache limits, and retry only after capacity changes.
- Before retrying the operation, reconcile resource counts, owner cleanup, and capacity after the correction.
Actions that can hide or worsen the problem
- Do not raise limits before checking ownership and release paths.
- Do not create a retry storm while the exhausted resource remains unavailable.
Technical references
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