Briefly, this error occurs when Elasticsearch is unable to parse the maximum number of memory map areas a process can have (vm.max_map_count). This could be due to insufficient permissions or incorrect system settings. To resolve this issue, you can increase the vm.max_map_count value in the /etc/sysctl.conf file. Alternatively, you can run the command “sysctl -w vm.max_map_count=262144” to temporarily set the value until the next reboot. Ensure that the user running Elasticsearch has the necessary permissions to read this value.
This guide will help you check for common problems that cause the log ” unable to parse vm.max_map_count [” + rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount + “] ” to appear. To understand the issues related to this log, read the explanation below about the following Elasticsearch concepts: bootstrap.
Log Context
Log “unable to parse vm.max_map_count [” + rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount + “]” classname is BootstrapChecks.java.
We extracted the following from Elasticsearch source code for those seeking an in-depth context :
final String rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount = readProcSysVmMaxMapCount(bufferedReader);
if (rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount != null) {
try {
return parseProcSysVmMaxMapCount(rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount);
} catch (final NumberFormatException e) {
logger.warn(() -> "unable to parse vm.max_map_count [" + rawProcSysVmMaxMapCount + "]"; e);
}
}
} catch (final IOException e) {
logger.warn(() -> "I/O exception while trying to read [" + path + "]"; e);
}
