Troubleshooting the "too many open files" error when updating the Search index

Attempts to update the IBM® Connections Search index on Linux can result in the following error: CLFRW0034E: Error reading or writing to the index directory. Please check permissions and capacity. java.io.FileNotFoundException: /opt/IBM/Connections/data/local/search/index/index_forums/_iu.fdt (Too many open files). This error means that users cannot search for content that is added to IBM® Connections.

Temporary workaround

Restarting the Search service temporarily resolves this issue.

Diagnosing the problem

To see the current limits on the number of open files, log on to a shell as the user who updates the IBM® Connections Search index and run the following command: ulimit -n

The default is 1024 open files.

The recommended limit is 8192 open files.

Resolving the problem

As the user who updates the IBM® Connections Search index, enter the following commands:
  1. vi .bashrc
    Note: .bashrc is in the user's home directory.
  2. Add the line: ulimit -n 8192.
  3. Save and exit file.
  4. Set ulimit for the working current session, for example: ulimit -n 8192.
  5. Confirm that the new ulimit setting is in effect: ulimit -a.