Will Kubuntu/Ubuntu 22.04.1 fix the issues with Systemd-OOM?

[SuperSapien64]

I've read and heard about some issues with the Systemd-OOM feature in Kubuntu/Ubuntu 22.04 (I know that Redhat/Fedora was the first to introduce this). Will Kubuntu/Ubuntu 22.04.1 fix this issues with Systemd-OOM? The reason I ask is because sometimes I have quite a bit of tabs open in Firefox and I have four email accounts running in Thunderbird and I don't want Kubuntu to close them just because its using 40 to 50% of my RAM I mean there should be a way for Kubuntu/Ubuntu users to adjust the Systemd-OOM feature to lets say 70 or 80% of RAM.

[rab0171610]

Reading through dev posts about this service over at Red Hat, it seems like the defaults pressure levels are hard coded into the service and not configurable by the user. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding. You did not mention how much RAM you have in your system and what your Swap file size is. I don't think it will make much difference anyway.
If you feel you do not need the service, you can always try to disable and mask it. I do not have it running on my machine and so far have not had any issues. That may change in the future, but for now I'd say if it is causing problems, try disabling it to see if it is even necessary.

sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-oomd

sudo systemctl mask systemd-oomd

I think disabling should be enough, it is not masked on my system but no other services are trying to start it. If necessary, you can also mask it to prevent other services from enabling it.
I expect someone will chime in here and say not to disable it, but it is not running on all distros out there in the wild. The jury is still out on what the best solution is for now. But I say if you are comfortable, have plenty of ram and swap, disabling it is not permanent and can be reversed. I have had success with disabling it, but every configuration and machine is different. Obviously, if you system crashes without systemd-oomd, you will lose data but the same things happens when it closes apps now.
Good luck and keep us updated on your progress.

[rab0171610]

Other users are also disabling this service. You can read the user comments here:
https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2022/06/...m-killing-apps

[rab0171610]

Also to better understand systemd-oomd as a daemon with regards to interacting with the in-kernel oom-killer:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/improving_performance
See the section titled: Improving system responsiveness under low-memory conditions

[jlittle]

I've read and heard about some issues with the Systemd-OOM feature in Kubuntu/Ubuntu 22.04...

Have you any indication that systemd-oomd is active on your systems? On this 22.04 it's not even installed.

oom killers exist to cope with severe out of memory circumstances where the system becomes unresponsive and so the user can't take any action to relieve it. Are you experiencing out of memory slow downs?

I think I'd prefer to enable Alt-Sysrq-f and try it before using an automatic oom killer.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Have you any indication that systemd-oomd is active on your systems? On this 22.04 it's not even installed.
[…]

It not installed by default in Kubuntu 22.04 (thanks Kubuntu-devs!) - in Ubuntu 22.04 it is.
I have read somewhere (sorry, can't remeber where, but it seemed to be a legitimate source) that Ubuntu already has "tamed" systemd-oomd a bit…

[jlittle]

- in Ubuntu 22.04 it is.

<mode=self-congratulation>
That suggests to me that the Gnome DE uses a lot of memory, and KDE is not so bad.</mode>

[claydoh]

<mode=self-congratulation>
That suggests to me that the Gnome DE uses a lot of memory, and KDE is not so bad.</mode>

Compare Plasma 5.18 or thereabouts to Plasma 5.24/5 and you will see KDE is not quite as slim as it has been in recent years. Not a pig, but on the rise for sure.

[SuperSapien64]

Have you any indication that systemd-oomd is active on your systems? On this 22.04 it's not even installed.

oom killers exist to cope with severe out of memory circumstances where the system becomes unresponsive and so the user can't take any action to relieve it. Are you experiencing out of memory slow downs?

I think I'd prefer to enable Alt-Sysrq-f and try it before using an automatic oom killer.

I'm not sure really I'm running Kubuntu 22.04 in a VM and I believe with four Gigs of RAM so maybe it does because of of the limited amount of RAM.

[claydoh]

As jlittle has mentioned, systemd-oomd is not even installed on a default Kubuntu 22.04, so any issues you have are probably more from the virtual machine environment than anything else. Ram pressures, with a virtualized swap file on a virtualized file system, it sure seems possible for things to slow to a crawl sometimes.

[Snowhog]

I'm not sure really I'm running Kubuntu 22.04 in a VM and I believe with four Gigs of RAM so maybe it does because of of the limited amount of RAM.

How many cpu cores did you specify for the VM? If only one, and you have the RAM support, increase that number to the number of CPU cores your actual PC has.

[SuperSapien64]

As jlittle has mentioned, systemd-oomd is not even installed on a default Kubuntu 22.04, so any issues you have are probably more from the virtual machine environment than anything else. Ram pressures, with a virtualized swap file on a virtualized file system, it sure seems possible for things to slow to a crawl sometimes.

OK that's great news. I mean I wasn't having any major issues with the VM I was just wondering if the systemd-oomd is in Kubuntu 22.04 and you say its not. But will it remain that way lets say Kubuntu 22.04.1? I know that Linux Mint 21 also wont have the systemd-oomd in it either.

[rab0171610]

wont have the systemd-oomd in it either

Even if it were, I have an Arch installation where it exists but I have it disabled as I pointed out earlier. A lot of users over there at the red sombrero are posting how problematic it is for them still and they are disabling it without issue. So I would not worry about it either way. As of right now, it is not by nature an essential system service for the average desktop user.

[rab@rab-B450-AORUS-ELITE ~]$ systemctl status systemd-oomd
○ systemd-oomd.service - Userspace Out-Of-Memory (OOM) Killer
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-oomd.service; disabled; vendor preset: disabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
TriggeredBy: ○ systemd-oomd.socket
Docs: man:systemd-oomd.service(8)

[Beerislife]

It will also not be included in Linux Mint 21...

Which I have the beta of but haven't had time to play around with it....

[SuperSapien64]

Even if it were, I have an Arch installation where it exists but I have it disabled as I pointed out earlier. A lot of users over there at the red sombrero are posting how problematic it is for them still and they are disabling it without issue. So I would not worry about it either way. As of right now, it is not by nature an essential system service for the average desktop user.

So why is it installed on vanilla Ubuntu desktop for? Or at least that's what I've heard/read.