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Scenario: Apache Hive logs are filling up the disk space on the head nodes in Azure HDInsight

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This article describes troubleshooting steps and possible resolutions for problems related to insufficient disk space on the head nodes in Azure HDInsight clusters.

Issue

In an HDI 4.0 Apache Hive/LLAP cluster, unwanted logs are taking up the entire disk space on the head nodes. This condition could cause the following problems:

  • SSH access fails because no space is left on the head node.
  • HiveServer2 Interactive fails to restart.

Cause

Automatic hive log deletion is not configured in the advanced hive-log4j2 configurations. The default size limit of 60-GB takes too much space for the customer's usage pattern. By default, the number of logs kept is defined by this equation MB logs/day = appender.RFA.strategy.max * 10MB.

Resolution

  1. Go to the Hive component summary on the Ambari portal and select the Configs tab.

  2. Go to the Advanced hive-log4j2 section in Advanced settings.

    • Optionally, you can lower the value of appender.RFA.strategy.max to decrease the total megabytes of logs kept in a day.

  3. Make sure you have these settings. If you don't see any related settings, append these settings:

    # automatically delete hive log
appender.RFA.strategy.action.type = Delete
appender.RFA.strategy.action.basePath = ${sys:hive.log.dir}
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.type = IfFileName
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.regex = hive*.*log.*
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.type = IfAny
# Deletes logs based on total accumulated size, keeping the most recent
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.type = IfAccumulatedFileSize
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.exceeds = 60GB
# Deletes logs IfLastModified date is greater than number of days
#appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.type = IfLastModified
#appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.age = 30D

  4. Go through three basic options with deletion based on:

  • Total Size

    • Change appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.exceeds to a size limit of your choice.

  • Date

    • You also can uncomment and switch the conditions. Then change appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.age to an age of your choice.
    # Deletes logs based on total accumulated size, keeping the most recent 
#appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.type = IfAccumulatedFileSize 
#appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.exceeds = 60GB
# Deletes logs IfLastModified date is greater than number of days 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.type = IfLastModified 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.age = 30D

  • Combination of Total Size and Date

    • You can combine both options by uncommenting. The log4j2 will then behave as so: Start deleting logs when either condition is met.
    # Deletes logs based on total accumulated size, keeping the most recent 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.type = IfAccumulatedFileSize 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.fileSize.exceeds = 60GB
# Deletes logs IfLastModified date is greater than number of days 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.type = IfLastModified 
appender.RFA.strategy.action.condition.nested_condition.lastMod.age = 30D
  1. Save the configurations and restart the required components.

Next steps

If you didn't see your problem or are unable to solve your issue, visit one of the following channels for more support:

  • Get answers from Azure experts through Azure Community Support.

  • Connect with @AzureSupport - the official Microsoft Azure account for improving customer experience. Connecting the Azure community to the right resources: answers, support, and experts.

  • If you need more help, you can submit a support request from the Azure portal. Select Support from the menu bar or open the Help + support hub. For more detailed information, review How to create an Azure support request. Access to Subscription Management and billing support is included with your Microsoft Azure subscription, and Technical Support is provided through one of the Azure Support Plans.