apache/hadoop · error · IOException

Failed to save in any storage directories while saving names

Error message

Failed to save in any storage directories while saving namespace.

What it means

Error "Failed to save in any storage directories while saving namespace." thrown in apache/hadoop.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-hdfs-project/hadoop-hdfs/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hdfs/server/namenode/FSImage.java:1259

        source, txid, canceler);
    
    try {
      List<Thread> saveThreads = new ArrayList<Thread>();
      // save images into current
      for (Iterator<StorageDirectory> it
             = storage.dirIterator(NameNodeDirType.IMAGE); it.hasNext();) {
        StorageDirectory sd = it.next();
        FSImageSaver saver = new FSImageSaver(ctx, sd, nnf);
        Thread saveThread = new Thread(saver, saver.toString());
        saveThreads.add(saveThread);
        saveThread.start();
      }
      waitForThreads(saveThreads);
      saveThreads.clear();
      storage.reportErrorsOnDirectories(ctx.getErrorSDs());
  
      if (storage.getNumStorageDirs(NameNodeDirType.IMAGE) == 0) {
        throw new IOException(
          "Failed to save in any storage directories while saving namespace.");
      }
      if (canceler.isCancelled()) {
        deleteCancelledCheckpoint(txid);
        ctx.checkCancelled(); // throws
        assert false : "should have thrown above!";
      }
  
      renameCheckpoint(txid, NameNodeFile.IMAGE_NEW, nnf, false);
  
      // Since we now have a new checkpoint, we can clean up some
      // old edit logs and checkpoints.
      // Do not purge anything if we just wrote a corrupted FsImage.
      if (!exitAfterSave.get()) {
        purgeOldStorage(nnf);
        archivalManager.purgeCheckpoints(NameNodeFile.IMAGE_NEW);
      }
    } finally {

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. Check NameNode logs for per-directory failures; fix disk space/permissions on storage directories.
2. Add or restore at least one healthy edits/name storage directory and retry the checkpoint.

When it happens

Trigger: Checkpoint/saveNamespace fails because writing the new image failed in every configured storage directory.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6a3ebdc595aa35b7. Report an issue: GitHub.