Field Notice: FN74271 - Cisco Identity Services Engine - Operating System Swap Memory Issue May Cause System Instability and Latency Issues - Software Upgrade Recommended

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Updated:April 22, 2025
Document ID:FN74271

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High
Impact Rating:
High
First Published:
2025-Apr-22
Last Published:
2025-Apr-22
Revision:
1.0

Notice

THIS FIELD NOTICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS AND DOES NOT IMPLY ANY KIND OF GUARANTEE OR WARRANTY, INCLUDING THE WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY. YOUR USE OF THE INFORMATION ON THE FIELD NOTICE OR MATERIALS LINKED FROM THE FIELD NOTICE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. CISCO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OR UPDATE THIS FIELD NOTICE AT ANY TIME.

Products Affected


Affected Software Product Affected Release Affected Release Number Comments
Identity Services Engine System Software 3.1 3.1.0 p9 Only ISE release 3.1 P9 is affected
Identity Services Engine System Software 3.2 3.2.0 p6, 3.2.0 p7 Only ISE releases 3.2 P6 and 3.2 P7 are affected
Identity Services Engine System Software 3.3 3.3 Patch 3, 3.3 Patch 4 Only ISE releases 3.3 Patch 3 and 3.3 Patch 4 are affected
Identity Services Engine System Software 3.4 3.4.0 Only ISE 3.4 unpatched version is affected

Defect Information


Defect IDHeadline
CSCwm48867swapon/swapoff cron killing unintended processes every 6 hours
CSCwh92320Memory Allocation Limit for Oracle pga and Oracle sga process
CSCwh25160swap cleanup script to drop the swap area and program the cron:
CSCwi47249Reuse AcsSyslog objects in AcsSyslogProcessor instead of creating new ones

Problem Description


Due to a defect in the underlying operating system, Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) system software might retain swap memory without de-allocating it. This condition can cause general Cisco ISE service degradation and system instability (e.g., unexpected system reload, Cisco ISE authentication latency, Cisco ISE user interface latency, etc.). 


Background


Swap memory is allocated in local storage devices, in contrast with regular memory, which uses RAM. Swap space is used by Cisco ISE system software when the regular memory space in RAM is exhausted or for certain types of data that do not require fast access. If swap memory allocation is full and system memory is exhausted, it might result in general Cisco ISE service degradation and system instability.  

Cisco ISE releases 3.1 and later are susceptible to this swap memory issue.  


Problem Symptom


To monitor swap memory consumption, use the tech top command in the Cisco ISE CLI. The used memory value will increase steadily over time without decreasing.   

The following image is sample output of the used memory value from the tech top command:  


Workaround/Solution


To resolve this issue, upgrade Cisco ISE to one of the following releases: 

  • 3.1 P10 or later 
  • 3.3 P5 or later 
  • 3.4 P1 or later 
  • 3.2 P7 + hot patch (the hot patch can be downloaded here) 

Revision History


VersionDescriptionSectionDate
1.0Initial Release—2025-APR-22

For More Information

For further assistance or for more information about this field notice, contact the Cisco Technical Assistance Center (TAC) using one of the following methods:

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