apache/hadoop · error · IOException

invalid arguments to createHardLink: link name is null

Error message

invalid arguments to createHardLink: link name is null

What it means

Error "invalid arguments to createHardLink: link name is null" thrown in apache/hadoop.

Source

Thrown at hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HardLink.java:177

   * ****************************************************
   * Complexity is above.  User-visible functionality is below
   * ****************************************************
   */

  /**
   * Creates a hardlink.
   * @param file - existing source file
   * @param linkName - desired target link file
   * @throws IOException raised on errors performing I/O.
   */
  public static void createHardLink(File file, File linkName)
      throws IOException {
    if (file == null) {
      throw new IOException(
          "invalid arguments to createHardLink: source file is null");
    }
    if (linkName == null) {
      throw new IOException(
          "invalid arguments to createHardLink: link name is null");
    }
    createLink(linkName.toPath(), file.toPath());
  }

  /**
   * Creates hardlinks from multiple existing files within one parent
   * directory, into one target directory.
   * @param parentDir - directory containing source files
   * @param fileBaseNames - list of path-less file names, as returned by 
   *                        parentDir.list()
   * @param linkDir - where the hardlinks should be put. It must already exist.
   * @throws IOException raised on errors performing I/O.
   */
  public static void createHardLinkMult(File parentDir, String[] fileBaseNames,
      File linkDir) throws IOException {
    if (parentDir == null) {
      throw new IOException(

View on GitHub (pinned to 2add963021)

Solutions

1. Pass a non-null link name to createHardLink.
2. Validate the link path before calling.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at hadoop-common-project/hadoop-common/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/fs/HardLink.java:177 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of apache/hadoop@2add963021 (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/84b4a82036676129. Report an issue: GitHub.