1000082 - Improving the performance of the Export Utility

Improving the performance of the Export Utility

Product:	Export Utility for Lotus Notes / Domino > All > Version All
Platform(s):	All
Edition(s):	All
Doc Number:	1000082

Published 17-Sep-2015
Last Updated: 31-Oct-2020

General Information

This support note provides a list of tips to improve the performance of the Export Utility

Solution

Upgrade to the latest version of the Lotus Notes Client / Domino Server

Improvements are continuously being made in newer versions of Lotus Notes / Domino so we recommend using the most recent version where possible. If not possible then ensure you have installed the latest Fix Pack for the version of Lotus Notes / Domino you are using. Click the following link to see what updates are available for your version of Lotus Notes / Domino:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27010592

ODS Version of Databases

Ensuring the databases you are exporting data from have been upgraded to the version of ODS supported by the Lotus Notes client / Domino server you are using can provide great performance improvements. For example ODS version 51 uses 80% less i/o than ODS version 43. Check your Lotus Domino Administrator Guide for information on checking and updating the ODS version in your databases.

Notes Client Data Directory is Local

The Lotus Notes Client data directory should be installed on the local drive. If your data directory is located on a network drive this will affect performance in a negative way. To check the location of your Lotus Notes client data directory follow these steps:

Open the Lotus Notes client
Select the 'File' option from the Lotus Notes menu bar then select 'Preferences'
Select the 'Basic Notes Client Configuration' option.
You should now be able to view where your Lotus Notes data folder is located (see following image)

Enable Network Port Compression

Enabling the 'Compress Network Data' option for the TCPIP Port in the Lotus Notes client can reduce network traffic to the Domino server by 50% - 70%. To enable network compression in the Lotus Notes client follow these steps:

Open the Lotus Notes client
Select the 'File' option from the Lotus Notes menu bar then select 'Preferences'
Select the 'Notes Ports' option.
Select the TCPIP port.
Click the checkbox next to 'Compress network data' (see following image)
Click the Ok button to save the change then restart the Lotus Notes client.

Install more memory

Some operations of the Export Utility are quite memory intensive - especially when exporting to Microsoft Word, PDF, and HTML. On 32-bit systems you should ensure at least 2Gb of memory is free before running the export. On 64-bit systems at least 4Gb of system memory should be free.

Increase the Lotus Notes JVM Memory Settings

Search for the file jvm.properties in the following path: <Notes program folder>\framework\rcp\deploy\jvm.properties

By default, the properties file has the following values:

vmarg.Xmx=-Xmx256m
vmarg.Xms=-Xms48m
vmarg.Xmca=-Xmca8k

If you have at least 2 GB of physical RAM, close all instances of Notes, Domino Designer, and Domino Administrator, and then change the settings to the following values:

vmarg.Xmx=-Xmx1024m
vmarg.Xms=-Xms512m
vmarg.Xmca=-Xmca512k

Details:

vmarg.XMx - defines the maximum amount of memory that Notes will consume.
vMarg.XMs - defines the minimum amount of memory that Notes will consume.
vmarg.Xmca - defines the block size by which Notes will increase memory by when either need more than the minimum.

With these changes Lotus Notes will start out with 512 MB memory (up from 48 MB) and, if more memory is needed, the JVM will add blocks of 512 KB and finally cap out at 1024 MB.

Increase JVM Heap Size

If you are exporting a lot of documents which contain large file attachments and images increasing the JVM Heap size which the Lotus Notes client (or Domino server) can use will improve performance.

To increase the heap size follow these steps:

Open the Export Utility in the Lotus Notes client
Select the 'Actions' option from the Lotus Notes client menu bar then select 'Install' and then 'Java Libraries - Install'.
When the Java Libraries installation dialog box has opened set the 'Install Library Files' option to 'No' then click the 'Advanced' tab.

Set the Java Heap Size option to 'Use settings for exporting large documents'

Deselect the checkboxes for the 'Java User Options' and 'JVM Security Policy Settings' options.

Click the 'Install Java Libraries' button.

Restart the Lotus Notes client after the Java settings have been updated.

You can also update the Notes.ini file manually to set these values by adding the following settings:
JavaMinHeapSize=512MB
JavaMaxHeapSize=1024MB

Note: The maximum heap size should not be larger than 1024Mb. Sizes larger than this are know to cause issues with the Notes client and may cause exporting to fail.

Remember to restart your Lotus Notes client after updating the Notes.ini file.

Export from a Local Replica

Where possible exports should be performed using a local replica of a database you want to export data from. This provide much improved performance over a database located on a Domino server.

Save Exported Files to the Local Drive

The target location for the creation of exported files should be set to the local drive. Once the export has completed you can then copy them to a network drive if required.

Exclude Lotus Notes Databases from Virus Scanning

The performance of Lotus Notes databases can be greatly affected by virus scanners. You should configure your virus scanner to exclude Lotus Notes databases (ie. *.NSF) from scanning.

Check Network Latency

If the database you are exporting data from is located on a Domino server you should regularly check the latency of your connection from your machine to the Domino server. The slower the responsiveness of your network then the longer exports will take to complete.

Exclude Lotus Notes Data Directory and Sub-Folders from Virus Scanning

The Lotus Notes data directory and sub-folders thereof should be excluded from virus scanning.