# Cannot use database\_file in ingest-geoip, please send help every thread here is a dead end

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Tags:** ingest-pipeline\
**Created:** [November 11, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016 "2021-11-11T19:24:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![reyjrar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/reyjrar/32/97040_2.png) [@reyjrar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/reyjrar)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016/1 "2021-11-11T19:24:04Z")

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Hi,

I've been trying to setup ingest-geoip with our paid MaxMind databases. I cannot get them to work, regardless of where I put these files, I get

```auto
        "reason" : "[database_file] database file [GeoIP2-City.mmdb] doesn't exist",

```

This is a multi-instance linux server, running 7.10.2, I have `ES_PATH_CONF="/etc/elasticsearch/1"` (Instance 1 is the ingest instance)

I have put the files in the following directories:

- `/usr/share/elasticsearch/modules/ingest-geoip`
- `/usr/share/elasticsearch/config/ingest-geoip`
- `/etc/elasticsearch/1/config/ingest-geoip`
- `/etc/elasticsearch/1/ingest-geoip`
- `/etc/elasticsearch/1`

For the love of all that is reasonable, can someone please tell where the _bleep_ it's looking for these files? Would it kill someone to include the search path in the error message? Instead, here I am, wasting your time.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![reyjrar](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/reyjrar/32/97040_2.png) [@reyjrar](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/reyjrar)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016/2 "2021-11-11T19:50:00Z")

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More internet searching, yielded the solution. So, I'll close this thread and explain how I fixed it.

If `ES_PATH_CONF` is set, you need to install in all ingest and master eligible nodes, so:

```auto
# ES_PATH_CONF for master is /etc/elasticsearch/0, and for ingest is /etc/elasticsearch/1
for instance in 0, 1: do
   mkdir -p "/etc/elasticsearch/${instance}/ingest-geoip";
   for db in /var/lib/maxmind/*.mmdb; do
       ln -s $db "/etc/elasticsearch/${instance}/ingest-geoip/"
  done
done

```

The restart the master and ingest nodes.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stephenb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/stephenb/32/40856_2.png) [@stephenb](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/stephenb)\
**Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016/3 "2021-11-11T20:58:18Z")

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@reyjrar Welcome to the community and thank you very much for posting your solution!

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/cannot-use-database-file-in-ingest-geoip-please-send-help-every-thread-here-is-a-dead-end/289016/4 "2021-12-09T20:58:58Z")

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