Low system memory detection

An apparatus comprising one or more modules that:

• query an allocation stall counter;
• based on the query of the allocation stall counter, determine a number of allocation stall counter increments occurring over a certain duration of time;
• in response to the number of allocation stall counter increments occurring over the certain duration of time is greater than a threshold, determines that an execution of a process termination tool is imminent;
• and
• in response to the determination that an execution of a process termination tool is imminent, set a flag indicating that a system associated with the allocation stall counter is low on available memory, wherein the flag is readable by one or more processes that are running on the system, wherein one or more of the processes respond by freeing at least a portion of memory used by the one or more processes.

One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions operable to cause one or more processors to perform the operations comprising:

• querying an allocation stall counter;
• based on the query of the allocation stall counter, determining a number of allocation stall counter increments occurring over a certain duration of time;
• in response to the number of allocation stall counter increments occurring over the certain duration of time is greater than a threshold, determining that an execution of a process termination tool is imminent;
• and
• in response to the determination that an execution of a process termination tool is imminent, setting a flag indicating that a system associated with the allocation stall counter is low on available memory, wherein the flag is readable by one or more processes that are running on the system, wherein one or more of the processes respond by freeing at least a portion of memory used by the one or more processes.