Avamar : Overcoming Large File Count Limitations with NDMP Backup

Summary: Avamar NDMP backup fails due to a single directory containing over 10 million files, exceeding Unity NAS scalability limitations.

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Symptoms

An Avamar NDMP backup fails due to a single directory containing over 10 million files.

  • A warning occurs with high memory consumption.
  • A fatal error: uapp::handlefatal: Fatal signal 11 is displayed.
  • The backup process aborts with an error code.
2023-10-30 19:07:08 avtar Warning : High memory consumption: Total:2957MB - Base:254MB - Hashcache:0MB - Filecache:0MB = 2703MB (excessive=2048MB)
2023-10-30 19:09:54 avtar FATAL : Fatal signal 11 in pid 9497
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36898 [avtar] FATAL ERROR: uapp::handlefatal: Fatal signal 11
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36921 [avtar] | 0000000000b96801
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36923 [avtar] | 0000000000b97577
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36924 [avtar] | 0000000000b9789b
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36925 [avtar] | 0000000000b9798e
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36926 [avtar] | 00007f62a1c27ce0
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36927 [avtar] | 00007f629eea29c4
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36930 [avtar] | 0000000000c63c71
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36931 [avtar] | 0000000000c63a8f
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36932 [avtar] | 0000000000bb3325
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36933 [avtar] | 00000000006ec4ba
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36934 [avtar] | 00000000006afd16
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36935 [avtar] | 00000000005c46a3
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36936 [avtar] | 00000000005d4070
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36937 [avtar] | 00000000006a5d69
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36938 [avtar] | 00000000005d3107
2023/10/30-19:09:54.36939 [avtar] | 0000000000930436

Cause

The root cause of the issue is a single directory containing over 10 million files, which exceeds the limitations of the Unity NAS.

  • The high file count in a single directory leads to high memory consumption, exceeding the threshold of 2048MB.
  • The excessive memory consumption results in a fatal signal 11, causing the program to abort.
  • The Unity NAS has limitations regarding file count beyond 10 million files, as stated in the scalability documentation.

Resolution

There is no definitive solution for this error. However, a workaround can be attempted to modify the directory structure to contain the files across multiple directories.

  • Modify the directory structure to distribute the files across multiple directories.

For more information on Unity NAS capabilities and scalability, please refer to the following link:

Scalability | Dell Unity: NAS Capabilities | Dell Technologies Info Hub

Caution: Attempting to modify the directory structure may have unintended consequences. It is recommended to contact the application owner of data for assistance.

Affected Products

Avamar Plug-in for NDMP

Products

Avamar
Article Properties
Article Number: 000296154
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 21 Mar 2025
Version:  1
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