# Startup fails if path.data is a symlink

**URL:** <https://discuss.elastic.co/t/startup-fails-if-path-data-is-a-symlink/118669>\
**Category:** Logstash\
**Created:** [February 6, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/startup-fails-if-path-data-is-a-symlink/118669 "2018-02-06T15:24:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jmb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/jmb/32/14312_2.png) [@jmb](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/jmb)\
**Post date:** [February 6, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/startup-fails-if-path-data-is-a-symlink/118669/1 "2018-02-06T15:24:07Z")

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There's a comment already in FileLockFactory.obtainLock() that the path traversal/create will fail in this case:

> <https://github.com/elastic/logstash/blob/main/logstash-core/src/main/java/org/logstash/FileLockFactory.java#L55>

Symptom in logs:

> [2018-02-06T09:58:02,982][FATAL][logstash.runner] An unexpected error occurred! {:error=\>java.nio.file.FileAlreadyExistsException: /software/logstash/data, :backtrace=\>["sun.nio.fs.UnixException.translateToIOException(sun/nio/fs/UnixException.java:88)", "sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(sun/nio/fs/UnixException.java:102)", "sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(sun/nio/fs/UnixException.java:107)", "sun.nio.fs.UnixFileSystemProvider.createDirectory(sun/nio/fs/UnixFileSystemProvider.java:384)", "java.nio.file.Files.createDirectory(java/nio/file/Files.java:674)", "java.nio.file.Files.createAndCheckIsDirectory(java/nio/file/Files.java:781)", "java.nio.file.Files.createDirectories(java/nio/file/Files.java:727)", "org.logstash.FileLockFactory.obtainLock(org/logstash/FileLockFactory.java:66)", "java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(java/lang/reflect/Method.java:498)", "RUBY.execute(/software/logstash/logstash-core/lib/logstash/runner.rb:305)", "RUBY.run(/software/logstash/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/clamp-0.6.5/lib/clamp/command.rb:67)", "RUBY.run(/software/logstash/logstash-core/lib/logstash/runner.rb:204)", "RUBY.run(/software/logstash/vendor/bundle/jruby/1.9/gems/clamp-0.6.5/lib/clamp/command.rb:132)", "software.logstash.lib.bootstrap.environment.(root)(/software/logstash/lib/bootstrap/environment.rb:71)", "software.logstash.lib.bootstrap.environment.(root)(software/logstash/lib/bootstrap//software/logstash/lib/bootstrap/environment.rb:71)"]}

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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:** [March 6, 2018, 3:24pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/startup-fails-if-path-data-is-a-symlink/118669/2 "2018-03-06T15:24:11Z")

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