# Elasticsearch service fails to start **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [December 28, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470 "2017-12-28T15:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ShilpiRachna](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/shilpirachna/32/42261_2.png) [@ShilpiRachna](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ShilpiRachna)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470/1 "2017-12-28T15:56:47Z")
We are using Elasticsearch version 5.4.1 on Windows 10. We have an automation that does the following: 1. Installs Java at a known location (JAVA\_HOME is always defined in System environment variable) 2. Install Elasticsearch using "elasticsearch-service.bat install" Output: [Info @12:06:16.709] Installing service : "elasticsearch-service-x64" [Info @12:06:16.709] Using JAVA\_HOME (64-bit): "C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.8.0\_151" [Info @12:06:16.709] The service 'elasticsearch-service-x64' has been installed. 3. Start Elasticsearch using "elasticsearch-service.bat start" It fails with the following error: _2017-12-26 12:06:18 Commons Daemon procrun stderr initialized_ _The data area passed to a system call is too small._ _Failed to start service_ I read that the issue is cause by JAVA\_HOME environment variable not being defined as a System variable. I have verified that it is set correctly. In fact, the issue repros even if JAVA\_HOME is correctly set even before running the automation and we install JAVA at the specified location. **However, the issue does not repro if Java is already installed.** Also, verified that heap size is set correctly in the JVM.options. This issue is intermittent. What else should I check / do to fix this issue? ---
**Author:** ![Martijn\_Laarman](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/martijn_laarman/32/4410_2.png) [@Martijn\_Laarman](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Martijn_Laarman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470/2 "2017-12-28T18:48:24Z")
It does sound like JAVA\_HOME is not available Are you able to share the following logs? ``` logs\elasticsearch-service-x64-stdout.*.log logs\elasticsearch-service-x64.*.log ``` Can you share a little bit more what kind of automation is running and how you are verifying JAVA\_HOME is set correctly? ---
**Author:** ![ShilpiRachna](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/shilpirachna/32/42261_2.png) [@ShilpiRachna](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ShilpiRachna)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 7:01am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470/3 "2017-12-29T07:01:20Z")
Hi Martijn, It is a .Net application that installs Elasticsearch as a pre-requisite. Copying the relevant Code snippet below: ``` public void Install(string esHome, IActivityLog logger) { Action installStatusCallback = () => { if (!WindowsServiceManagement.IsServiceInstalled(ComputerInfo.MachineName, ElasticsearchConstants.ElasticsearchServiceName)) { logger.Info($"Waiting for Elasticsearch operation to complete..."); throw new ElasticsearchOperationTimedoutException($"Elasticsearch operation was timedout."); } }; InvokeServiceBatCommand(esHome, logger, "install", installStatusCallback); } public void Start(string esHome, IActivityLog logger) { Action startStatusCallback = () => { if (!WindowsServiceManagement.IsServiceRunning(ComputerInfo.MachineName, ElasticsearchConstants.ElasticsearchServiceName)) { logger.Info($"Waiting for Elasticsearch operation to complete..."); throw new ElasticsearchOperationTimedoutException($"Elasticsearch operation was timedout."); } }; InvokeServiceBatCommand(esHome, logger, "start", startStatusCallback); } private void InvokeServiceBatCommand(string esHome, IActivityLog logger, string command, Action statusCallback) { string commandString = command.ToLowerInvariant(); Action elasticsearchConfigAction = () => { ProcessStartInfo processInfo = new ProcessStartInfo { FileName = "cmd.exe", Arguments = $"/c elasticsearch-service.bat {commandString}", WorkingDirectory = Path.Combine(esHome, "bin"), UseShellExecute = false }; string javaHome = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("JAVA_HOME", EnvironmentVariableTarget.Machine); Debug.Assert(!string.IsNullOrEmpty(javaHome)); logger.Info($"Adding JAVA_HOME to the environment of child process, value: {javaHome}"); processInfo.Environment["JAVA_HOME"] = javaHome; Task task = ProcessHandler.RunExeAsync(processInfo, $"elasticsearch-service.bat {commandString}", logger, default(CancellationToken)); var timeout = TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(ElasticsearchConstants.EsOperationTimeInMillsecs); if (Task.WaitAll(new[] { task }, timeout)) { statusCallback(); } else if (!task.IsCompleted) { throw new ElasticsearchOperationTimedoutException($"Elasticsearch operation: {command} was timedout."); } }; RetryManager retryManager = new RetryManager(ElasticsearchConstants.EsOperationRetryCount, TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(300000), (ex) => logger.Warning(ex)); retryManager.Invoke(elasticsearchConfigAction); } ``` In this particular scenario, JAVA\_HOME is set even before we start the ES install (we install JAVA at that location at the start of the application). If we retry the setup a second time, it works. So, the JAVA installation (in the previous retry) is also correct. ![SystemEnvVar2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/c/5/c5b3fe99ea7303075d0a3136bc918dea59aa17d2.png) Error logs: logs\elasticsearch-service-x64.\*.log ![ErrorLog](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/e/e/eedf2dcb0aa63a7b2a994ccdc75b62d4df2fab6e.PNG) logs\elasticsearch-service-x64-stderr.\*.log ![ErrorLog2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/6/c/6cbec332710ab07de9d9c8564bae34104e96435e.PNG) ![StdOut](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/a/3/a31ba21831b5be3c719cc5619ad54d412f83ad27.png) ---
**Author:** ![pjanzen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/pjanzen/32/13756_2.png) [@pjanzen](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/pjanzen)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2017, 10:04am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470/4 "2017-12-29T10:04:27Z")
> [@ShilpiRachna](#): > > The data area passed to a system call is too small I did a round of google and found this thread [Failed to start elasticsearch service · Issue #24187 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/24187) where they state that the memory setting might be incorrect. Specificly this might be helpfull [Failed to start elasticsearch service · Issue #24187 · elastic/elasticsearch · GitHub](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/24187#issuecomment-295821224) I cannot give you anymore info on this as I am not a windows user or admin. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2018, 10:04am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/elasticsearch-service-fails-to-start/113470/5 "2018-01-26T10:04:33Z")
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