IntermediateScenario
10 min
Inode Exhaustion on Filesystem
LinuxStorageOperations
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Interview Question
Disk usage looks low, but new files cannot be created and services fail with ENOSPC. How do you confirm inode exhaustion and fix it?
Key Points to Cover
- Confirm with df -i; identify directories with many small files
- Clean up temp/cache directories and rotate logs
- Bundle small files, adjust app temp file behavior
- Consider filesystem with higher inode density or reformat
- Add alerts on inode utilization
Evaluation Rubric
Detects inode exhaustion precisely30% weight
Finds directories causing inode pressure30% weight
Applies cleanup and longer-term solutions20% weight
Adds monitoring to prevent recurrence20% weight
Hints
- 💡Look for per-user caches and build artifacts.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- ⚠️Assuming low disk space percentage means no inode issue, overlooking `df -i`.
- ⚠️Performing blanket `rm -rf /` or similar destructive commands without first identifying the specific directories consuming inodes.
- ⚠️Not understanding the impact of small, numerous files on inode consumption.
- ⚠️Ignoring application-specific file creation patterns and focusing solely on system-level cleanup.
- ⚠️Failing to implement or regularly check log rotation configurations, leading to recurring log file inode issues.
Potential Follow-up Questions
- ❓How to design apps to avoid inode issues?
- ❓Would object storage help?
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