Failed to Fork

[Kheiron]

Hi all. I keep getting the following error:

fwm_exec_command: failed to fork: Not enough space

I have checked the following: (These are the most common responses I keep getting...)

There is sufficient disk space.
There is sufficient swap space.
The disk is split into various partitions and not one single one.

I need help relatively urgently if anybody can assist.
Rebooting this machine is simple NOT an option.

[david]

what version of fw are you running?

[Kheiron]

Hi there.

Just to inform you (and anybody else who ever finds themselves with the same problem) that I have found a solution.

Initially when the policy failed to compile and brought up this message, the root disk space was at 100% but even after dropping it to less than 40% it still continued to fail with the same error.

It appears as if the FWM service on the management station occassionally gets itself in a knot when this happens. Then, regardless of how much disk space, memory or swap space you have left, it will keep saying that you have insufficient space.
This is the second time we've had this problem and I have found people complaining about this all over the net but was unable to find a resolution anywhere.
The first time this problem occurred, we bounced the entire firewall. (The management station and firewall are on the same machine ... stupid, I know.)

However, I discovered that once you have ensured that there is sufficient space, simply stopping and starting the FWM service solves the problem without impacting the availability of the firewall itself.

Hope this helps the next person who comes across this thread looking for a solution.