We here at my company have a number of CentOS 7 servers -- all managed by automation -- that have an issue with updatedb. It runs as a daily cron and hangs, meaning it never finishes when run and produces a file: /var/lib/mlocate/mlocate.db.nAjMzs
Running ps -ef | grep updatedb, we see the process has not finished over many hours.
Killing the updatedb process eliminates the file and the /var partition returns to a normal size but can never create the proper mlocate.db file
See below for troubleshooting history on this issue
This seems to be a fairly widespread problem in stackoverflow in days past. In one post by a user with the problem, he claimed to find the solution but never posted it.
Has anyone had this problem?
Troubleshooting history
--Lots of space on /var partition
--No memory or cpu issues seen on top
--Nothing in /var/log/messages
--Running the /etc/cron.daily file manually works on some of the affected servers
--/etc/updatedb.conf is the same on servers with this issue and ones not affected
--updatedb packages are consistent
--Reboots don't help
--strace for the updatedb cron.daily file doesn't see anything but does hang at what appears to be the finish
--Don't see the affected servers mount to anything like a usb or nfs that could be related
--We have not plans to update the operating system
updatedb cron job hangs
Re: updatedb cron job hangs
Do you have any network based filesystems mounted?
Then it's time you started making those plans. CentOS 7 goes EOL in just under 6 months time and there will be no more updates, security or otherwise, for it.--We have not plans to update the operating system
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke
Re: updatedb cron job hangs
No, no network efs, nfs, usb connections