# "runuser: cannot set groups: Operation not permitted" Error While running ES as Service

**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/runuser-cannot-set-groups-operation-not-permitted-error-while-running-es-as-service/123293
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [March 9, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/runuser-cannot-set-groups-operation-not-permitted-error-while-running-es-as-service/123293 "2018-03-09T15:12:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![deepanshu\_mittal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@deepanshu\_mittal](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/deepanshu_mittal)
#### Post date: [March 9, 2018, 3:12pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/runuser-cannot-set-groups-operation-not-permitted-error-while-running-es-as-service/123293/1 "2018-03-09T15:12:41Z")

</div>

I am getting "runuser: cannot set groups: Operation not permitted" Error while running ES as service on OEL6 linux machine. I am using following /etc/init.d/elasticsearch file

#!/bin/bash

# 

# elasticsearch

# 

# chkconfig: 2345 80 20

# description: Starts and stops a single elasticsearch instance on this system

# 

### BEGIN INIT INFO

# Provides: Elasticsearch

# Required-Start: $network $named

# Required-Stop: $network $named

# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5

# Default-Stop: 0 1 6

# Short-Description: This service manages the elasticsearch daemon

# Description: Elasticsearch is a very scalable, schema-free and high-performance search solution supporting multi-tenancy and near realtime search.

### END INIT INFO

# 

# init.d / servicectl compatibility (openSUSE)

# 

if [-f /etc/rc.status]; then  
. /etc/rc.status  
rc\_reset  
fi

# 

# Source function library.

# 

if [-f /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions]; then  
. /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions  
fi

# Sets the default values for elasticsearch variables used in this script

#SU="sudo -u"  
ES\_USER="root"  
ES\_GROUP="root"  
ES\_HOME="/etc/elasticsearch"  
MAX\_OPEN\_FILES=65536  
MAX\_MAP\_COUNT=262144  
LOG\_DIR="/var/log/elasticsearch"  
DATA\_DIR="/var/lib/elasticsearch"  
CONF\_DIR="/etc/elasticsearch"

PID\_DIR="/var/run/elasticsearch"

# Source the default env file

ES\_ENV\_FILE="/etc/sysconfig/elasticsearch"  
if [-f "$ES\_ENV\_FILE"]; then  
. "$ES\_ENV\_FILE"  
fi

# CONF\_FILE setting was removed

if [! -z "$CONF\_FILE"]; then  
echo "CONF\_FILE setting is no longer supported. elasticsearch.yml must be placed in the config directory and cannot be renamed."  
exit 1  
fi

exec="$ES\_HOME/bin/elasticsearch"  
prog="elasticsearch"  
pidfile="$PID\_DIR/${prog}.pid"

export ES\_JAVA\_OPTS  
export JAVA\_HOME  
export ES\_INCLUDE  
export ES\_JVM\_OPTIONS  
export ES\_STARTUP\_SLEEP\_TIME

# export unsupported variables so bin/elasticsearch can reject them and inform the user these are unsupported

if test -n "$ES\_MIN\_MEM"; then export ES\_MIN\_MEM; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_MAX\_MEM"; then export ES\_MAX\_MEM; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_HEAP\_SIZE"; then export ES\_HEAP\_SIZE; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_HEAP\_NEWSIZE"; then export ES\_HEAP\_NEWSIZE; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_DIRECT\_SIZE"; then export ES\_DIRECT\_SIZE; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_USE\_IPV4"; then export ES\_USE\_IPV4; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_GC\_OPTS"; then export ES\_GC\_OPTS; fi  
if test -n "$ES\_GC\_LOG\_FILE"; then export ES\_GC\_LOG\_FILE; fi

lockfile=/var/lock/subsys/$prog

# backwards compatibility for old config sysconfig files, pre 0.90.1

if [-n $USER] && [-z $ES\_USER] ; then  
ES\_USER=$USER  
fi

if [! -x "$exec"]; then  
echo "The elasticsearch startup script does not exists or it is not executable, tried: $exec"  
exit 1  
fi

checkJava() {  
if [-x "$JAVA\_HOME/bin/java"]; then  
JAVA="$JAVA\_HOME/bin/java"  
else  
JAVA=`which java`  
fi

```
if [! -x "$JAVA"]; then
    echo "Could not find any executable java binary. Please install java in your PATH or set JAVA_HOME"
    exit 1
fi

```

}

start() {  
checkJava  
[-x $exec] || exit 5

```
if [-n "$MAX_OPEN_FILES"]; then
    ulimit -n $MAX_OPEN_FILES
fi
if [-n "$MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY"]; then
    ulimit -l $MAX_LOCKED_MEMORY
fi

```

# if [-n "$MAX\_MAP\_COUNT" -a -f /proc/sys/vm/max\_map\_count]; then

# sysctl -q -w vm.max\_map\_count=$MAX\_MAP\_COUNT

# fi

```
# Ensure that the PID_DIR exists (it is cleaned at OS startup time)
if [-n "$PID_DIR"] && [! -e "$PID_DIR"]; then
    mkdir -p "$PID_DIR" && chown "$ES_USER":"$ES_GROUP" "$PID_DIR"
fi
if [-n "$pidfile"] && [! -e "$pidfile"]; then
    touch "$pidfile" && chown "$ES_USER":"$ES_GROUP" "$pidfile"
fi

cd $ES_HOME
echo -n $"Starting $prog: "
# if not running, start it up here, usually something like "daemon $exec"
daemon --user $ES_USER --pidfile $pidfile $exec -p $pidfile -d -Edefault.path.logs=$LOG_DIR -Edefault.path.data=$DATA_DIR -Edefault.path.conf=$CONF_DIR
retval=$?
echo
[$retval -eq 0] && touch $lockfile
return $retval

```

}

stop() {  
echo -n $"Stopping $prog: "  
# stop it here, often "killproc $prog"  
killproc -p $pidfile -d 86400 $prog  
retval=$?  
echo  
[$retval -eq 0] && rm -f $lockfile  
return $retval  
}

restart() {  
stop  
start  
}

reload() {  
restart  
}

force\_reload() {  
restart  
}

rh\_status() {  
# run checks to determine if the service is running or use generic status  
status -p $pidfile $prog  
}

rh\_status\_q() {  
rh\_status \>/dev/null 2\>&1  
}

case "$1" in  
start)  
rh\_status\_q && exit 0  
$1  
;;  
stop)  
rh\_status\_q || exit 0  
$1  
;;  
restart)  
$1  
;;  
reload)  
rh\_status\_q || exit 7  
$1  
;;  
force-reload)  
force\_reload  
;;  
status)  
rh\_status  
;;  
condrestart|try-restart)  
rh\_status\_q || exit 0  
restart  
;;  
\*)  
echo $"Usage: $0 {start|stop|status|restart|condrestart|try-restart|reload|force-reload}"  
exit 2  
esac  
exit $?

Please help me on same to get this issue resolved. I am using ES6.1.2

---

<div class="post-metadata">

### 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: [March 9, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/runuser-cannot-set-groups-operation-not-permitted-error-while-running-es-as-service/123293/2 "2018-03-09T15:29:50Z")

</div>

Please format your code, logs or configuration files using `</>` icon as explained in [this guide](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/about-the-elasticsearch-category/21) and not the citation button. It will make your post more readable.

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---

<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: [April 7, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/runuser-cannot-set-groups-operation-not-permitted-error-while-running-es-as-service/123293/5 "2018-04-07T03:01:42Z")

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