🔴 Critical   ⏱ 5–30 min  Last verified: 19 May 2026
Affected versions: FreeBSD 14

📖 ~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

When /var fills, PID files, sockets, package databases, and logs fail, causing cascading service issues.

Environment & Reproduction

Applications cannot write logs, pkg operations fail, and service restarts return no space left on device.

Root Cause Analysis

UFS and ZFS systems where /var growth from logs, crash dumps, or spool data is uncontrolled.

Quick Triage

Root shell and authority to rotate, archive, or remove stale data safely.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

[image_ref: 0] Run df -h /var; du -xhd 1 /var | sort -h; find /var/log -type f -size +100M; zfs list if /var is on ZFS.

Illustrative mockup for freebsd-14 — terminal_or_shell
df and du analysis for rapid space triage — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Primary Fix

[image_ref: 1] Confirm newsyslog.conf policies, crash dump settings, and retention limits for application logs.

Still having issues? Our IT Solutions & Services team can diagnose and resolve this for you. Get in touch for a free consultation.

Illustrative mockup for freebsd-14 — log_or_config
Log directories and rotation configuration review — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Archive or truncate oversized logs safely, clear obsolete package caches, rotate logs with service newsyslog onestart, and expand dataset quota if using ZFS.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

df reports adequate free space and previously failing services can write state and logs.

Rollback Plan

Restore archived logs only if required for compliance and move them to external storage.

Prevention & Hardening

Set proactive alerts for usage thresholds and enforce retention budgets per directory.

Escalate if growth is caused by runaway core dumps or suspected compromise activity.

Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-14.

View all freebsd-14 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →

Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.

References & Further Reading

df(1), du(1), newsyslog.conf(5), zfs(8), FreeBSD operational logging guidance.

Need Expert Help?

If you cannot resolve this yourself, our team offers hands-on Server Management, Managed IT Services, and flexible Support Plans. Contact us today — we respond within one business day.