# Getting "UnavailableShardsException" sometimes only **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [May 3, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063 "2016-05-03T14:25:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/K_Samanth_Kumar_Redd)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/1 "2016-05-03T14:25:28Z")
Hi, I am creating elasticsearch index using java with elasticsearch-2.2.0 version. I am stuckup with an exception: "UnavailableShardsException" I am using BULK API to create my index. Some times the index is being created successfully, some times I am getting the above exception. I am wondering why this exception is coming only sometimes. This is causing me a big problem. Can anyone help me please? Thanks & Regards, Samanth ---
**Author:** ![K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/K_Samanth_Kumar_Redd)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:48am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/2 "2016-05-04T06:48:31Z")
Can anyone please respond? Thanks, Samanth ---
**Author:** ![dadoonet](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/dadoonet/32/137187_2.png) [@dadoonet](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dadoonet)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 6:50am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/3 "2016-05-04T06:50:06Z")
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**Author:** ![warkolm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/warkolm/32/39224_2.png) [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2016, 7:14am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/4 "2016-05-04T07:14:46Z")
Have you checked your ES logs at the time this happens? ---
**Author:** ![K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/K_Samanth_Kumar_Redd)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 12:48pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/5 "2016-05-13T12:48:38Z")
Thank You! I checked the logs but I am not able to understand the exact problem. Please find the log file content below: > [2016-05-11 03:20:05,157][DEBUG][action.admin.indices.stats] [Crazy Eight] [indices:monitor/stats] failed to execute operation for shard [[enduser][3], node[g60DVR92SseMGM69vgbzXQ], [P], v[2], s[STARTED], a[id=Myk36WGeQ8S92exXvDcjcg]] > ElasticsearchException[failed to refresh store stats]; nested: AccessDeniedException[C:\elasticsearch-2.2.0\data\elasticsearch\nodes\0\indices\enduser\3\index\_c\_Lucene50\_0.tim]; > at org.elasticsearch.index.store.Store$StoreStatsCache.refresh(Store.java:1534) > at org.elasticsearch.index.store.Store$StoreStatsCache.refresh(Store.java:1519) > at org.elasticsearch.common.util.SingleObjectCache.getOrRefresh(SingleObjectCache.java:55) > at org.elasticsearch.index.store.Store.stats(Store.java:293) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IndexShard.storeStats(IndexShard.java:665) > at org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.stats.CommonStats.(CommonStats.java:134) > at org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.stats.TransportIndicesStatsAction.shardOperation(TransportIndicesStatsAction.java:165) > at org.elasticsearch.action.admin.indices.stats.TransportIndicesStatsAction.shardOperation(TransportIndicesStatsAction.java:47) > at org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.node.TransportBroadcastByNodeAction$BroadcastByNodeTransportRequestHandler.onShardOperation(TransportBroadcastByNodeAction.java:409) > at org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.node.TransportBroadcastByNodeAction$BroadcastByNodeTransportRequestHandler.messageReceived(TransportBroadcastByNodeAction.java:388) > at org.elasticsearch.action.support.broadcast.node.TransportBroadcastByNodeAction$BroadcastByNodeTransportRequestHandler.messageReceived(TransportBroadcastByNodeAction.java:375) > at org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportService$4.doRun(TransportService.java:350) > at org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.AbstractRunnable.run(AbstractRunnable.java:37) > at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142) > at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617) > at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) > Caused by: java.nio.file.AccessDeniedException: C:\elasticsearch-2.2.0\data\elasticsearch\nodes\0\indices\enduser\3\index\_c\_Lucene50\_0.tim > at sun.nio.fs.WindowsException.translateToIOException(WindowsException.java:83) > ... 15 more > [2016-05-11 03:46:25,196][INFO][cluster.metadata] [Crazy Eight] [enduser] creating index, cause [api], templates , shards [5]/[1], mappings > [2016-05-11 03:46:25,222][WARN][indices.cluster] [Crazy Eight] [[enduser][2]] marking and sending shard failed due to [failed recovery] > [enduser][[enduser][2]] IndexShardRecoveryException[failed to recovery from gateway]; nested: EngineCreationFailureException[failed to create engine]; nested: AccessDeniedException[C:\elasticsearch-2.2.0\data\elasticsearch\nodes\0\indices\enduser\2\translog]; > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.StoreRecoveryService.recoverFromStore(StoreRecoveryService.java:254) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.StoreRecoveryService.access$100(StoreRecoveryService.java:56) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.StoreRecoveryService$1.run(StoreRecoveryService.java:129) > at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142) > at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617) > at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745) > Caused by: [enduser][[enduser][2]] EngineCreationFailureException[failed to create engine]; nested: AccessDeniedException[C:\elasticsearch-2.2.0\data\elasticsearch\nodes\0\indices\enduser\2\translog]; > at org.elasticsearch.index.engine.InternalEngine.(InternalEngine.java:156) > at org.elasticsearch.index.engine.InternalEngineFactory.newReadWriteEngine(InternalEngineFactory.java:25) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IndexShard.newEngine(IndexShard.java:1450) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IndexShard.createNewEngine(IndexShard.java:1434) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IndexShard.internalPerformTranslogRecovery(IndexShard.java:925) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.IndexShard.performTranslogRecovery(IndexShard.java:897) > at org.elasticsearch.index.shard.StoreRecoveryService.recoverFromStore(StoreRecoveryService.java:245) > ... 5 more ---
**Author:** ![warkolm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/warkolm/32/39224_2.png) [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/6 "2016-05-13T13:58:16Z")
> [@K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](#): > > AccessDeniedException[C:\elasticsearch-2.2.0\data\elasticsearch\nodes\0\indices\enduser\3\index\_c\_Lucene50\_0.tim]; Looks like filesystem permission issues. ---
**Author:** ![K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9c0ed/32.png) [@K\_Samanth\_Kumar\_Redd](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/K_Samanth_Kumar_Redd)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2016, 5:25am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/7 "2016-05-16T05:25:03Z")
I do not understand one thing that is: it is loading the data sometimes successfully, but it is failing sometimes. I am wondering how it is possible. I am using BATCH API to load the data. **Client Side Exception:** > [172]: index [enduser], type [enduser], id [AVS4BSH5OtU25o4f73iq], message [UnavailableShardsException[[enduser][3] primary shard is not active Timeout: [1m], request: [shard bulk {[enduser][3]}]]] Is there any configuration that needs to be done?. Thanks, Samanth ---
**Author:** ![Ben\_Davis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d2c977/32.png) [@Ben\_Davis](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Ben_Davis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2016, 3:26pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/8 "2016-08-11T15:26:42Z")
I'm seeing the same thing you are. An index will be fine for weeks and then one day we get access denied errors. Frustrating. This post indicates it can be an issue on Windows where you open Explorer on a different machine and navigate to the network drive housing your ES data. I closed all my connections from other workstations to that network drive. Maybe it will work. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2017, 10:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/getting-unavailableshardsexception-sometimes-only/49063/9 "2017-07-05T22:28:20Z")