Insufficient disk space in filegroup error in SolarWinds Platform logs

10/19/2018 7:52 PM

2/9/2025 7:13 PM

The following errors can be seen within the Configuration Wizard Logs or during the process of running the program.

Insufficient disk space in filegroup 'Primary'

System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException (0x80131904): Could not allocate space for object '[dbo.Table]'.'[IX_ColumnName]' in database '[DatabaseName]' because the 'PRIMARY' filegroup is full. Create disk space by deleting unneeded files, dropping objects in the filegroup, adding additional files to the filegroup, or setting autogrowth on for existing files in the filegroup.

e.g.



 

This is also true if you see in the logs anything like this:

...the 'PRIMARY' filegroup is full. Create disk space by deleting unneeded files, dropping objects in the filegroup, adding additional files to the filegroup, or setting autogrowth on for existing files in the filegroup

Error is not limited to the 'Primary' filegroup as it could be the 'TIMESERIES' filegroup as well

Network Performance Monitor

The database being used has encountered one or more of the following scenarios:

• A SQL server database size limit has been reached
• A database size limit has been reached
• The partition hosting the Primary Filegroup has run out of space.

The error is caused by the database being full such that the Orion is no longer able to write on it. This issue is most commonly seen with SQL express, as it has a 10 gig limit. It can also be seen on other SQL versions if the drive the database is on is full or it has a size limit.

 

To resolve the issue, you can find why the size is restricted and make space in the database. For example, if you are using SQL Express, you can move the database to a full version of SQL. You can also clear out data.

Confirm the database size and limits

1. Open SQL Management Studio and log in with full permissions (SA account).
2. Right-click your Orion database
3. Select Properties
4. In the Database Properties window click on Files.
5. There review the Filegroup, Initial Size (MB), and the Autogrowth settings along with the Path on the PRIMARY Filegroup.
   • The Filegroup tells us which entry is for the Primary Filegroup
   • The Initial Size (MB) tells us the current size of the file. 
   • The Autogrowth settings tell us if an artificial limit has been manually applied to the filegroup. 
     • If there is a limit set on the maximum size which is the same as the Initial Size (MB) please consult your DBA who configured the limit.
   • Use the Path option to determine which partition the database's Primary Filegroup is stored on.
     • Verify the partition has free space for the file to grow. If not space will have to be created or the database moved.
6. Compare your SQL server version and license type and the maximum database size it allows, with the database size. Some versions of SQL, have differing limits on database size. 
   • Note: Older versions of SQL in SQL Express are most likely to have database size limitations that would be a concern. 

If the issue is down to the size of the database and the database has free space it is possible to shrink the database to make the free space available.

Steps to determine the amount of free space in the database

1. Open SQL Management Studio and log in with full permissions (SA account).
2. Right-click your database
3. Select Properties
4. On the General page, the Size of the database and the Space Available will be shown.

If the space available is significant then shrinking may release enough space to clear the error. See the below steps which describe how to shrink the database.

Steps to Shrink the database

IMPORTANT:  Stop the Orion services through the "Orion Service Manager" ("Start->All Programs->SolarWinds Orion->Advanced Features-> Orion Service Manager"). The Orion services on all Orion servers should be stopped.

1. Open SQL Management Studio and log in with full permissions (SA account).
2. Right-click your Orion database
3. Choose "All Task > SHRINK > Files
4. Ensure the File Type is set to Data, Filegroup "Primary".
5. For the Shrink Action, select "Reorganize pages before releasing unused space. Change the "Shrink File to" setting to just above the minimum setting shown on the right.
6. Click OK.
   • Note: This can take a while - usually a few minutes per GB..
7. Restart the Orion services through the "Orion Service Manager" ("Start->All Programs->SolarWinds Orion->Advanced Features-> Orion Service Manager"). The Orion services on the Primary Poller should be started first and after any additional pollers and additional web servers.