[R] Re: Starting and Terminating the JVM for package SJava

[Duncan Temple Lang]

ZABALZA-MEZGHANI Isabelle wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I would like to know if there is a possibility to open an R session via Java
> (using the SJava package), then to terminate it, and re-run another.

At present, there is no code in the R system to terminate a session
and shut down the engine.  I have experimented putting it into R but
have not finished it. So it is a feature of R that needs to be added.
Nothing about SJava will prohibit us from using it.

> It seems not to be possible. If this is the case, I would like to understand
> where is the problem or the limitation (is it due to the SJava
> implementation, to the Java behavior, or to the R application).
> In fact, I am interesting in re-starting new R sessions during a same Java
> session to manage memory problems in R with large datasets and numerous
> commands through SJava interface (just to "clean" memory).

You might just call the R function gc() periodically (probably from
within Java).  And if you have R objects as Java references , there
are ways to clear these out too.  So, most likely, you don't actually
want to shut down R and restart it.  Instead, you just want to clean
up.


> 
> Waiting for your help,
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Isabelle.
> 
> 
> Isabelle Zabalza-Mezghani
> IFP - Reservoir Engineering Department
> Rueil-Malmaison / France
> Tel : +33 1 47 52 61 99