Can't create files or directories in a filesystem. Out of inodes.

[Ernest Small]

I created a filesystem and began copying data to it. It stopped copying with error saying no space left, system out of inodes. I did some kernel tunes to increase inodes and rebooted which should have killed any processes writing to a hidden file. Nothing worked. BDF shows I have plenty of space. Even touching a file gives the following error...

# touch file

msgcnt 8 vxfs: mesg 011: vx_noinode - /release.eva file system out of inodes
touch: file cannot create
# bdf .
Filesystem kbytes used avail %used Mounted on
/dev/vgData/lvol1 368640000 281984984 85978024 77% /release.eva

The server is an A-class running 11.11
Please help.

[James R. Ferguson · Accepted solution]

Hi:

While VxFS filesystems have unlimited inodes, is *is* necessary to enable 'largefiles' to allow more than about 8-million inodes. A structure file that is part of the filesystem itself must be allowed to grow larger than 2GB.

You should be able to enable 'largefiles' support and resume loading files.

Assuming that you have OnlineJFS, do:

# fsadm -F vxfs -o largefiles /mount_point

If you lack OnlineJFS, unmount the filesystem and then do:

# fsadm -F vxfs -o largefiles /dev/vgNN/rlvolX

Regards!

...JRF...

[Hein van den Heuvel]

>> created a filesystem and began copying data to it. It stopped copying with error saying no space left, system out of inodes.

I'm sure it means it... it is out of Inodes.
I'm also pretty sure JRF nailed with the the largefiles. Nice to know!

Still... how many files do you think you created?

Accross how many directories?

Too many files, notably in few directorie may become an issue even if the system can hold them after setting it up correctly.

>> I did some kernel tunes to increase inodes

Details please? I do not knwo enough about this stuff, but max Inodes is probably attribute of the filesytem, not a kernel param. What knob did you turn?

Regards,
Hein van den Heuvel

[Dennis Handly]

>Hein: but max Inodes is probably attribute of the filesytem

Exactly. Use bdf -i to see.

[A. Clay Stephenson]

Almost certainly, you need to enable largefiles for this vxfs filesystem BUT it is possible that when you created this filesystem, you set it up for a fixed number of inodes rather than the default mode of unlimited. To determine this,
mkfs -F vxfs -m /dev/vgData/lvol1
The "-m" option tels mkfs not to actually create a filesystem but to display the parameters used to create the existing filesystem. If you see "ninode=unlimited" then largefiles is your boy but if you see "ninode=nnnnnn" then you created a filesystem with a fixed number of inodes.

[Ernest Small]

James you nailed it. Everything is working fine now. Thanks for your quick replies.

ES

[Ernest Small]

Resolved using the reply from James.