xvda1 is 100% Full–What is It and How to Fix It?

Running out of disk space on a server is one of the most common issues faced by system administrators, especially in cloud environments like Cyfuture Cloud and other hosting services. If you’ve encountered an error message stating that xvda1 is 100% full, your server has run out of available storage on the primary partition.

This issue can lead to severe performance degradation, failed services, and even complete system crashes if not resolved promptly. In this guide, we’ll explain what xvda1 is, why it becomes full, and how to fix it efficiently.

What is xvda1?

In cloud hosting and virtualized environments, xvda1 refers to the primary storage partition of a virtual machine (VM). Unlike traditional disk labels (sda for SATA disks), xvda1 is commonly used in Xen-based virtualization systems, including AWS EC2, Cyfuture Cloud, and other cloud providers.

xvda refers to the first virtual disk.

xvda1 is the first partition on that disk, typically the root filesystem (/).

When xvda1 is 100% full, the system can no longer write new data, leading to failures in logging, database operations, and application processes.

Why Does xvda1 Become Full?

Several factors can cause xvda1 to run out of space:

Log Files Consuming Excessive Space

Web servers, databases, and applications generate log files that grow indefinitely if not managed properly.

Common log directories: /var/log/, /var/log/journal/.

Large Temporary Files

Some applications create temporary files in /tmp/ or /var/tmp/ that do not get deleted.

Unused Packages and Dependencies

Over time, software updates and installations leave behind outdated packages that take up space.

Large User Files

Home directories (/home/) may contain unnecessary large files.

Database Growth

Databases like MySQL, PostgreSQL, or MongoDB store data under /var/lib/, which can grow beyond the available space.

How to Fix xvda1 Being 100% Full

To fix this issue, follow these steps systematically:

Step 1: Check Disk Usage

Run the following command to see which directories are consuming the most space:

df -h

This will show disk usage in a human-readable format. Look for the line related to xvda1.

To check detailed directory usage, run:

du -ah / | sort -rh | head -20

This command lists the top 20 largest files/directories.

Step 2: Clear Log Files

If logs are taking up too much space, clear them safely:

sudo journalctl --vacuum-time=3d  # Remove logs older than 3 days

sudo truncate -s 0 /var/log/syslog  # Empty syslog

sudo truncate -s 0 /var/log/auth.log  # Empty authentication logs

To remove old logs:

sudo find /var/log -type f -name "*.log" -mtime +7 -exec rm -f {} \;

Step 3: Remove Unused Packages

To remove unnecessary packages and dependencies:

sudo apt-get autoremove -y

sudo apt-get clean

For CentOS/RHEL, use:

sudo yum autoremove -y

sudo yum clean all

Step 4: Delete Large Unnecessary Files

Find and remove large files that are no longer needed:

find / -type f -size +500M 2>/dev/null

Delete unnecessary files manually:

sudo rm -rf /path/to/large/file

Step 5: Expand Disk Space

If the disk is still full after cleanup, you may need to increase the storage allocation. This is common in cloud environments like Cyfuture Cloud, where you can scale storage dynamically.

Resize the volume using the cloud provider’s dashboard.

Expand the filesystem after increasing disk size:
sudo resize2fs /dev/xvda1
For XFS filesystems:
sudo xfs_growfs /

Step 6: Move Data to Another Partition or External Storage

If logs or databases are consuming excessive space, consider moving them to another partition or external storage:

Move logs:
sudo mv /var/log /mnt/storage/

ln -s /mnt/storage/log /var/log

Relocate database files (example for MySQL):
sudo systemctl stop mysql

sudo mv /var/lib/mysql /mnt/storage/

ln -s /mnt/storage/mysql /var/lib/mysql

sudo systemctl start mysql

Step 7: Automate Cleanup

To prevent xvda1 from filling up again, automate cleanup tasks:

Set up log rotation with logrotate:
sudo nano /etc/logrotate.conf
Add a rule:
/var/log/*.log {

    weekly

    rotate 4

    compress

    missingok

    Notifempty

}

Schedule a cleanup job with cron:
crontab -e
Add:
0 3 * * 1 sudo apt-get autoremove -y && sudo apt-get clean

0 4 * * * sudo find /var/log -type f -name "*.log" -mtime +7 -exec rm -f {} \;

Conclusion

When xvda1 is 100% full, it can disrupt server operations and lead to performance issues. Understanding what’s consuming disk space and following a structured approach to cleanup can quickly restore normal operations.

If you’re running a cloud-based server on Cyfuture Cloud or another hosting provider, utilizing scalable storage and automated maintenance will help avoid these issues in the future. Regular disk space monitoring and cleanup ensure that your system runs smoothly without unexpected downtime.

By implementing these solutions, you can efficiently manage disk space and prevent your primary partition from filling up again!