KB 579172 - Filesystem Capacity Critical in Head Node - Troubleshooting guide

KB 579172 - Filesystem Capacity Critical in Head Node - Troubleshooting guide

Purpose

Provide a standard troubleshooting and resolution procedure when filesystem capacity on a Head Node reaches critical levels.


When to Use

Use this KB when the monitoring system triggers the alert:

Filesystem Capacity Critical – Head Node

This alert indicates that one or more filesystems on the head node are reaching critical capacity and may cause service disruption if not addressed.


Alert Summary

The alert is generated when the filesystem usage on the head node exceeds the defined threshold.

High filesystem usage may lead to:

  • Application failures

  • Logging issues

  • Job scheduling failures

  • System instability


Severity

Critical

Immediate investigation is required to prevent system disruption.


L1 Engineer Actions

When the alert is received, perform the following checks:

Step 1 – Login to Head Node

SSH into the affected head node.


Step 2 – Wait and Monitor

  1. Wait 25–30 minutes

Step 3 – Escalation (If Required)

If the issue appears significant:

  • Create an internal ticket

  • Inform L2 Engineer


Step 4 – Documentation

After confirmation with L2:

  • Update the Issues Master Sheet


L2 Engineer Actions

Step 1 – Verify Filesystem and Storage Devices

Run:

df -h
lsblk
free -h

Check:

  • filesystem utilization

  • mounted storage

  • memory availability

Step 2 – Identify High Usage Filesystem

Locate the filesystem with critical usage.

Example:

du -sh /path/* | sort -hr | head

Step 3 – Cleanup Space

Perform cleanup activities such as:

  • Remove old logs

  • Remove unnecessary data

  • Delete old core dumps

  • Remove unused kernel packages

Example locations:

/var/log
/tmp
/var/tmp

Step 4 – Validate After Cleanup

Verify filesystem usage again:

df -h

Ensure utilization drops below the alert threshold.

Step 5 – OEM Escalation (If Required)

If usage is caused by:

  • system services

  • unknown files

  • filesystem issues

  • storage configuration problems

Escalate to OEM / platform support team.

    • Recent Articles

    • KB-630208 | How to use Find and Locate to search for files in Linux

      Purpose To provide Linux administrators and Field Engineers with guidance on using the find and locate utilities to efficiently search for files and directories within a Linux filesystem based on criteria such as name, type, size, timestamps, ...

    • KB-630164 | How to use rsync to Synchronize Files

      Purpose To provide a clear and practical procedure for using the rsync utility to synchronize files and directories between local systems and remote hosts, including push and pull operations, while preserving file attributes and optimizing data ...

    • KB-630107 | How to create a Linux swap file

      Purpose To provide Field Engineers and Linux administrators with a standardized procedure for creating, configuring, and validating a Linux swap file. This procedure helps ensure sufficient virtual memory is available when physical RAM is exhausted ...

    • MSI All-in-One (AIO) PC – Physical Damage Policy for Warranty Claims

      MSI All-in-One (AIO) PC – Physical Damage Policy for Warranty Claims MSI's standard warranty does not cover physical or accidental damage to an All-in-One (AIO) PC. If the damage is determined to be caused by external factors rather than a ...

    • KB 134833 - Troubleshooting NVSM Alert NV-CPU-XX – Unrecoverable CPU Internal Error

      Purpose This document provides a general troubleshooting procedure for the NVIDIA System Management (NVSM) alert NV-CPU-XX, which indicates that a CPU has reported an internal error. The article outlines how to verify whether the alert represents an ...

    • Popular Articles

    • CP Plus Camera and NVR Configuration

      NVR Configuration The CP Plus Pro Series of NVRs have been meticulously designed for providing you with upgraded performance and higher recording quality in your IP video surveillance solution. The robust processor that has been inculcated in this ...

    • KB 775235 - Kerberos Authentication – Overview

      What is Kerberos? Kerberos is a secure authentication method used in our Active Directory (AD) environment (mbuzztech.com). It allows users to: Access multiple systems without re-entering passwords (Single Sign-On – SSO) Log in once Where We Use It ...

    • How to Remove and Reinstall NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu

      This article provides step by step guide to completely remove existing NVIDIA drivers and reinstall specific version of the NVIDIA driver on the Ubuntu system Prerequisites Administrative (sudo) access to the Ubuntu system. Internet access to ...

    • KB 692001 - Personal Computers and Servers - Classification and Point of Contact

      We can classify the computers that MBUZZ handles based on their form-factor as below: Tower Workstations, Desktops, Gaming PCs and SFF (Small form factor) PCs fall under this category. These are computers people would use on a desk and rarely move. ...

    • KB 298031 - M.2 SSD Tier List

      The sequential read and write speeds, which are usually the most advertised number, are not a proper benchmark of real-world performance or the quality of an SSD. This article categorizes and tiers SSDs based on factors like the type of NAND flash, ...