Ubuntu 24.04 LTS /var Filesystem Full and Package Operations Fail

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents

1. Symptom & Impact
2. Environment & Reproduction
3. Root Cause Analysis
4. Quick Triage
5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
6. Solution – Primary Fix
7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
9. Rollback Plan
10. Prevention & Hardening
11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Updates, logging, and services fail when `/var` reaches full capacity.

Environment & Reproduction

Frequent on hosts with high log growth and small root partitions.

df -h /var

Root Cause Analysis

Unbounded log growth, package cache accumulation, or runaway spool files consume space.

Quick Triage

Locate top directories consuming space.

sudo du -xh /var --max-depth=1 | sort -h

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

Identify large files and stale package cache contents.

sudo find /var -xdev -type f -size +200M -ls && sudo du -sh /var/cache/apt

Solution – Primary Fix

Clean apt cache, vacuum journals, and rotate logs.

sudo apt clean && sudo journalctl --vacuum-size=500M && sudo logrotate -f /etc/logrotate.conf

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Extend filesystem/LVM capacity or move heavy paths to dedicated mounts.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

At least 15% free space on `/var` and package commands run successfully.

Rollback Plan

Restore archived logs if business retention obligations require rollback.

Prevention & Hardening

Set disk usage alerts and enforce log retention policies.

Related Errors & Cross-Refs

Related to `No space left on device`, failed journald writes, and apt cache errors.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

View all Ubuntu 24.04 LTS tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

Ubuntu storage, journald, and logrotate management docs.