What Can I Do If "vm.max_map_count is too low" Is Reported When Elasticsearch Fails to Be Started?

Symptom

Elasticsearch fails to be started, and the following error information is found in the elasticsearch_cluster.log file: "vm.max_map_count is too low".

Cause Analysis

The following error information is displayed during the startup:

bootstrap checks failed max virtual memory areas vm.max_map_count [65530] is too low

Solution

1. Open the sysctl.conf file.

   vi /etc/sysctl.conf

2. Check whether the vm.max_map_count parameter exists in the sysctl.conf file.
   • If yes, change the value of vm.max_map_count to 655360.
   • If no, add the following information to the last line:

     vm.max_map_count=655360

3. Run the following command for the modification to take effect:

   sysctl -p

4. Restart the Elasticsearch service.