# Error at startup:Transport SSL must be enabled for setups with production licenses. Please set \[xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled\] to \[true\] or disable security by setting \[xpack.security.enabled\] to \[false\]

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208>\
**Category:** Elasticsearch\
**Created:** [April 16, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208 "2018-04-16T14:36:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Diadems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@Diadems](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Diadems)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/1 "2018-04-16T14:36:17Z")

</div>

I already checked a similar thread that was closed with the link to the configuration page for TLS.

I have already checked that and modified my config several times to test which one works.. but it does not seems to.  
I applied a non-prod license to this new setup but it reports production license in logs:  
My Config:

```auto
.......
node.master: true
node.data: true
node.max_local_storage_nodes: 3
path.data: /var/es/data
path.logs: /var/log/elasticsearch
bootstrap.memory_lock: true
bootstrap.system_call_filter: false
network.host: x.y.z.142
http.port: 9200
discovery.zen.ping.unicast.hosts: ["x.y.z.141", "x.y.z.142", "x.y.z.143"]
discovery.zen.minimum_master_nodes: 2
discovery.zen.fd.ping_timeout: 30s
path.repo: ["/var/es/backup"]
#############################
http.max_content_length: 500mb
############# X-PACK FEATURE CONFIGURATION GOES BELOW #################
xpack.security.enabled: true
xpack.security.authc.accept_default_password: true
#xpack.security.audit.enabled: true
#xpack.monitoring.enabled: true
xpack.watcher.enabled: true
xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled: true
xpack.security.transport.ssl.verification_mode: certificate
xpack.security.transport.ssl.keystore.path: /etc/elasticsearch/certs/ca.p12
xpack.security.transport.ssl.truststore.path: /etc/elasticsearch/certs/certs.p12

```

Created CA cert on node1 and then node 1 cert,  
copied ca cert and cert to node 2 and node 3  
trying to start node 1 first, getting the following error immediately:

```auto
Starting elasticsearch: tailf me Exception in thread "main" org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.BootstrapException: java.nio.file.AccessDeniedException: /etc/elasticsearch/certs/ca.p12
Likely root cause: java.nio.file.AccessDeniedException: /etc/elasticsearch/certs/ca.p12
        at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.translateToIOException(UnixException.java:84)
        at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:102)
        at sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:107)
        at sun.nio.fs.UnixFileAttributeViews$Basic.readAttributes(UnixFileAttributeViews.java:55)
        at sun.nio.fs.UnixFileSystemProvider.readAttributes(UnixFileSystemProvider.java:144)
        at sun.nio.fs.LinuxFileSystemProvider.readAttributes(LinuxFileSystemProvider.java:99)
        at java.nio.file.Files.readAttributes(Files.java:1737)
        at java.nio.file.FileTreeWalker.getAttributes(FileTreeWalker.java:225)
        at java.nio.file.FileTreeWalker.visit(FileTreeWalker.java:276)
        at java.nio.file.FileTreeWalker.next(FileTreeWalker.java:372)
        at java.nio.file.Files.walkFileTree(Files.java:2706)
        at org.elasticsearch.common.logging.LogConfigurator.configure(LogConfigurator.java:147)
        at org.elasticsearch.common.logging.LogConfigurator.configure(LogConfigurator.java:119)
        at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Bootstrap.init(Bootstrap.java:291)
        at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.init(Elasticsearch.java:121)
        at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.execute(Elasticsearch.java:112)
        at org.elasticsearch.cli.EnvironmentAwareCommand.execute(EnvironmentAwareCommand.java:86)
        at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.mainWithoutErrorHandling(Command.java:124)
        at org.elasticsearch.cli.Command.main(Command.java:90)
        at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:92)
        at org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.Elasticsearch.main(Elasticsearch.java:85)
Refer to the log for complete error details.
.l
                                                           [FAILED]
[root@ashapld00022la elasticsearch]# tailf dev.log
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,447][INFO][o.e.t.TransportService] [dev1] publish_address {100.126.49.141:9300}, bound_addresses {100.126.49.141:9300}
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,469][INFO][o.e.b.BootstrapChecks] [dev1] bound or publishing to a non-loopback address, enforcing bootstrap checks
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,477][ERROR][o.e.b.Bootstrap] [dev1] node validation exception
[1] bootstrap checks failed
[1]: Transport SSL must be enabled for setups with production licenses. Please set [xpack.security.transport.ssl.enabled] to [true] or disable security by setting [xpack.security.enabled] to [false]
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,479][INFO][o.e.n.Node] [dev1] stopping ...
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,508][INFO][o.e.n.Node] [dev1] stopped
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,508][INFO][o.e.n.Node] [dev1] closing ...
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,515][INFO][o.e.n.Node] [dev1] closed
[2018-04-15T15:39:20,517][INFO][o.e.x.m.j.p.NativeController] Native controller process has stopped - no new native processes can be started
^C

```

Please advise what am i doing wrong here.  
Elastic/ kibana/ x-pack - 6.2.3

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ikakavas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ikakavas/32/34430_2.png) [@ikakavas](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ikakavas)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:14pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/2 "2018-04-16T15:14:12Z")

</div>

Hi

The error is that it cannot read the keystore file that you have defined in the configuration:

```auto
Exception in thread "main" org.elasticsearch.bootstrap.BootstrapException: java.nio.file.AccessDeniedException: /etc/elasticsearch/certs/ca.p12

```

You need to set the correct permissions on that file so that the user you run Elasticsearch as, can read it.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Diadems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@Diadems](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Diadems)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:19pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/3 "2018-04-16T15:19:02Z")

</div>

Yeah i looked at that too.  
I had reset the permissions as 644 on these files and parent folder.  
Also this and the parent config folder is owned by root:elasticsearch, the same way /etc/elasticsearch is.

What else i could be missing here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ikakavas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ikakavas/32/34430_2.png) [@ikakavas](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ikakavas)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/4 "2018-04-16T15:36:36Z")

</div>

Can you please verify the permissions ? If they are set as you indicate, then you wouldn't get that exception

Can you copy the output from `ls -l` for the aforementioned file and `/etc/elasticsearch` ? Also, which user are you starting elasticsearch as ? Are they members of the `elasticsearch` group ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Badger](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/badger/32/25190_2.png) [@Badger](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Badger)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:39pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/5 "2018-04-16T15:39:30Z")

</div>

644 on the folder? That excludes search. Make the folder 755.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Diadems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@Diadems](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Diadems)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/6 "2018-04-16T15:43:52Z")

</div>

Thanks.  
That fixed it.  
Thanks a ton @Badger@ikakavas !!!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ikakavas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/ikakavas/32/34430_2.png) [@ikakavas](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/ikakavas)\
**Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/7 "2018-04-16T16:02:48Z")

</div>

Thanks @Badger, I totally missed that.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/error-at-startup-transport-ssl-must-be-enabled-for-setups-with-production-licenses-please-set-xpack-security-transport-ssl-enabled-to-true-or-disable-security-by-setting-xpack-security-enabled-to-false/128208/8 "2018-05-14T16:03:04Z")

</div>

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