Tracking file storage space use

[Bob Elzer]

> This kind of thing is a good reason to split off certain file hierarchies
like /var, /var/log, and /usr/local  > where stuff tends to collect and/or
runneth over.  A full root with one monolithic partition can make for a  
> single-user mode bad day.

If you split them off, don't you wind up making them smaller and thus they
tend to run out of space more often.

When you start splitting, something gets smaller, thus less time to react.

I find, something like hobbit combined with diskhog works well. Hobbit will
tell me when a partition is starting to run low on space (I can set the
percentage). Then diskhog, will tell me where the most space is being used
and by who.

Before I implemented this at one company, I heard the stories how they were
always calling the admin at night because they had already run out of space.

Once I added these, I always got a warning ahead of time, and they never ran
out of space again.


-----Original Message-----
From: plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
[mailto:plug-discuss-bounces at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us] On Behalf Of Michael
Butash
Sent: Monday, July 06, 2009 4:44 PM
To: Main PLUG discussion list
Subject: Re: Tracking file storage space use

I would tend to think based on what you're saying you have log files that
are rampantly filling, and then logrotate kicks in, compresses, and all of
your space comes back.  See anything odd in in /var/log/messages or daemon?
Just about anything misconfigured can cause rampant log filling.  I had this
with a wireless module bug recently in ubuntu overrunning my /var partition
with incessant log chatter.

Is it all one flat partition or do you separate out things like /var /usr or
...?  If so, it should tell you pretty quickly with a df -kh where data is
collecting.  If it's monolithic, check /var/log with ls -lahS /var and then
/var/log.  I'll bet it's in there unless you're using some kind of temp
space elsewhere.  

This kind of thing is a good reason to split off certain file hierarchies
like /var, /var/log, and /usr/local where stuff tends to collect and/or
runneth over.  A full root with one monolithic partition can make for a
single-user mode bad day.

-mb


On Mon, 2009-07-06 at 09:01 -0700, Alan Dayley wrote:
> I have a server running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.  It's running very 
> well but lately we have been running out of disk space on occasion.
> The truth is we need more storage and that solution is coming.  In the 
> mean time, I need to figure out where all the space is being consumed.
> 
> Every once in a while I can see 3-5GB get consumed in about a day.
> Then, when I warn everyone we are running out, this space suddenly 
> comes free.  I think a user is eating the space and then freeing it up 
> when my warning goes out.  But none of the users will admit to this 
> behavior.  That's not a big deal because, whether a user or not, I'd 
> like to know what or who is eating this space and then releasing it.
> 
> The server is running SAMBA shares for /home and other directores, 
> Bugzilla with MySQL on the database, TWiki, Subversion, CVS and ftp 
> services.  Tracking each of these individually may be a bear.  I was 
> thinking there may be a tool that tracks recent usage from the file 
> system level.
> 
> What tools can I use to get a handle on this issue and increase my 
> knowledge about disk usage?
> 
> Alan
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