No Space Left on Device

Recently, I encountered a “No space left on device” error while trying to install IntelliJ on my NixOS system. Despite having 70 GB of available space, the issue persisted. As a newcomer to NixOS, dual-booting with Windows, I was puzzled by this problem.

Understanding the Issue: The error wasn’t due to a lack of total disk space but was likely related to the temporary directory (/tmp) or the Nix store (/nix/store) running out of space. This is a common issue in NixOS, especially with large package installations. I suspected the Nix store was full, so I tried the following commands to free up space:

• nix store --optimize
• nix store --gc

Unfortunately, these didn’t resolve the issue. I turned to Reddit and other online resources, hoping to find others who faced similar issues. However, documentation was sparse, and solutions were not clearly explained. Solutions Tried: Here are some options I explored:

1. Checking /tmp Directory: Ensured it wasn’t full.

2. Increasing Nix Store Size: Considered adjusting the Nix store size.

3. Clearing Cache: Attempted to clear any unnecessary cache files.

4. Increase the tmpfs size: You can try increasing the tmpfs size by adding the following line to your /etc/nixos/configuration.nix file:

boot.runSize = "10G";  # adjust the size as needed

Then, restart your system and try installing the package again.

2. Use a larger swap partition: If you have a swap partition, ensure it’s large enough to accommodate the temporary build process. You can check the current swap size using swapon -s.

3. Mount the Nix store with a larger size: You can remount the Nix store with a larger size using the following command:

mount -o remount,size=10G,noatime /nix/.rw-store

Adjust the size as needed.

4. Clear temporary files: Try clearing temporary files and directories, including /tmp and /var/tmp, to free up space.

None of those solution seem to solve the problem i was having each time i build a package I keep getting the no space left on device error. Then i came across a blog post that solve the issue i was having. Solutions Explored:

1. Increase tmpfs Size:
   • Explanation: tmpfs stores files in volatile memory. Increasing its size allows more files to be stored in memory.
   • How to Apply:
     • Add the following line to /etc/nixos/configuration.nix:

       boot.tmpfsSize = "4G";  # Adjust this size as needed

     • Apply the changes with:

       sudo nixos-rebuild switch

   • Consideration: Ensure enough free RAM or swap to support the increased size.
2. Increase Swap Space:
   • Explanation: Swap space acts as overflow memory when RAM is full, supporting resource-heavy operations.
3. Check Temporary File Storage:

   • Use the following command to check current tmpfs usage:

     df -h | grep tmpfs

   • If low, increase /tmp size by setting boot.tmpfsSize in the NixOS configuration. Conclusion: After adjusting the tmpfs size, the error was resolved. This experience taught me valuable lessons about managing disk space on NixOS, and I hope it helps others facing similar issues.

Resources

https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Storage_optimization