apache/hadoop · error · ServiceLaunchException

44

44

Error message

--conf: configuration file not found: %s

What it means

After argument parsing succeeds, ServiceLauncher.verifyConfigurationFilesExist() walks every file passed via -conf/--conf and requires File.exists(); a missing file aborts launch with ServiceLaunchException exit code 44 (EXIT_NOT_FOUND) and the absolute path. This is a deliberate fail-fast so a service never starts with silently dropped configuration.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/service/launcher/ServiceLauncher.java:998

      String[] argArray) throws IOException {
    return new MinimalGenericOptionsParser(conf, commandOptions, argArray);
  }

  /**
   * Verify that all the specified filenames exist.
   * @param filenames a list of files
   * @throws ServiceLaunchException if a file is not found
   */
  protected void verifyConfigurationFilesExist(String[] filenames) {
    if (filenames == null) {
      return;
    }
    for (String filename : filenames) {
      File file = new File(filename);
      LOG.debug("Conf file {}", file.getAbsolutePath());
      if (!file.exists()) {
        // no configuration file
        throw new ServiceLaunchException(EXIT_NOT_FOUND,
            ARG_CONF_PREFIXED + ": configuration file not found: %s",
            file.getAbsolutePath());
      }
    }
  }

  /**
   * @return Build a log message for starting up and shutting down.
   * @param classname the class of the server
   * @param args arguments
   */
  protected static String startupShutdownMessage(String classname,
      List<String> args) {
    final String hostname = NetUtils.getHostname();

    return StringUtils.createStartupShutdownMessage(classname, hostname,
        args.toArray(new String[args.size()]));
  }

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. Check the absolute path printed in the message with `ls` from the same working directory
2. Use an absolute path for --conf instead of a relative one
3. Confirm the file was actually deployed/copied to this node
4. Verify the launching user can traverse (execute bit) every parent directory

Example fix

# before
hadoop $SERVICE --conf conf/service-site.xml
# after
hadoop $SERVICE --conf /etc/hadoop/conf/service-site.xml

List<String> confFiles = Arrays.asList("/etc/hadoop/conf/service-site.xml");
for (String f : confFiles) {
  if (!java.nio.file.Files.exists(java.nio.file.Paths.get(f))) {
    throw new IllegalStateException("missing --conf file: " + f);
  }
}

catch (ServiceLaunchException e) {
  if (e.getExitCode() == ServiceLaunchException.EXIT_NOT_FOUND) {
    // the message carries the absolute path that was missing
    log.error("config file absent on this node: {}", e.getMessage());
  }
}

When it happens

Trigger: `hadoop ... --conf ./conf/service-site.xml` run from a working directory where the relative path does not resolve; a typo'd filename; the config file never deployed to that node; a parent directory lacking execute permission so the path cannot be resolved.

Common situations: Relative --conf paths in cron/Oozie/shell launches where the working directory differs; files copied to some nodes but not all; directory permissions changed during hardening.

Understand the failure class

Background: "File not found" and ENOENT errors: why libraries can't find a file that should exist — this error's family across 50 libraries.

Related errors

• EXIT_COMMAND_ARGUMENT_ERROR(40)
• 40
• Specified work directory does not exists: %s
• Specified configuration does not exists: %s
• key + ": No such file or directory."

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/3f9356c457a07cd0. Report an issue: GitHub.