NSX Application Platform Automation Appliance Management Interface (Web-UI) shows storage as critical for the directory vg_system-lv_root

Products

• VMware vDefend Firewall with Advanced Threat Prevention

Issue/Introduction

When the user logs in to the NSX Application Platform Automation Appliance Management user interface on port 5480 through the browser they see an error stating:

"File system vg_system-lv_root has run out of storage space.
Increase the size of disk vg_system-lv_root"

Environment

This was observed in the older version of NAPP Automation Appliances. The version reflects as napp-automation-v0.3.1 and the build indicates 000001

vCenter version: 8.0.1.00300

This issue is not limited to the above-mentioned version combinations and may be observed with other versions as well.

Cause

The issue arises when the file etc/logrotate.conf file in the NAPP Automation Appliance contains empty values for log file specifications, thereby preventing the logrotate function from properly rotating files such as messages, audit, or auth logs.

The screenshot below demonstrates this issue, showcasing an /etc/logrotate.conf file that lacks log file specifications.

Resolution

Step 1: Identify Files Consuming Excessive Storage

To find files that are consuming more than 1 GB of storage, run the following command:

find / -type f -size +1G -o -size 1G

Step 2: Clear Large-Sized Files

Based on the output from Step 1, clear the large-sized files using the following sample commands:

echo > /var/log/audit/audit.log

Step 3: Access the NSX Application Platform Manager

SSH into the NSX Application Platform Manager using the root user.

Step 4: Configure Log Rotation

Edit the /etc/logrotate.conf file and add the following configuration:

/var/log/audit/audit.log {
    compress
    nodateext
    rotate 15
    daily
    missingok
    notifempty
    create 600 root root
    sharedscripts
    postrotate
        /usr/bin/systemctl restart syslog.service > /dev/null
    endscript
}

For any other log files, add similar configurations in the same format.

Step 5: Initiate Log Rotation

Force log rotation by running the following command:

logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf

Step 6: Restart the NAPP Automation Appliance

Restart the NAPP Automation Appliance Virtual Machine from the vCenter by selecting "Restart Guest OS" from the Actions menu.

We should be able to see the overall status as "Good" after the above change: