The Release Work Directory
The XL_RELEASE_SERVER_HOME/work directory is used to store temporary data that cannot be stored in the memory.
Example: The items that are temporarily stored in the work directory are the files that are being uploaded when configuration items (CIs) are being created
Location of the work directory
The work directory is in the Release server installation directory (XL_RELEASE_SERVER_HOME). Release uses this directory instead of an operating system-specific temporary directory because:
- Read access to the work directory must be limited since it may contain sensitive information.
- Operating system-specific temporary directories are not large enough to contain all the files that Release needs (for more information about disk space, see Requirements for installing Release).
Work Directory Size
The work directory can grow for several reasons:
- Large artifacts are being created, imported, or exported. This may cause a temporary increase in the size of the work directory.
- (Prior to Release 8.5.0 or if default archiving settings are changed) There are many unarchived releases. However, by default, releases are archived automatically and promptly after they are completed or aborted, with an archiving job running every minute. Manual archiving is only necessary if the default archiving settings have been changed. For more information, see How Archiving Works.
By default, completed and aborted releases are archived automatically by a background job that runs every minute. If your system administrator has changed the default archiving settings, you may need to archive releases manually. To check for unarchived Releases (including those owned by other users):
- Login to Release as an administrator
- Go to the Releases section
- Click the Archived filter to view unarchived releases
To prevent the work directory from growing unnecessarily:
- Ensure completed Releases are archived (this is automatic by default)
- Avoid leaving incomplete releases open
- Regularly monitor the work directory size
Clean up the work directory
When the Release server is running, files in the work directory may be in use. In addition, if a release is not finished before you stop the Release server, Release will recover the release when the server is restarted. After recovery, the Release needs access to the files that were created previously in the work directory.
Before cleaning up the work directory, verify that all running releases are finished and archived.
To do so, login to Release as an administrator, go to the releases, and ensure that all releases are archived or not.
After you have verified that there are no running releases, you can shut down the Release server and safely delete the files in the work directory.
Change the location of the work directory
You can change the location of the work directory. To do so, change the workDir setting in the xl/repository block of the xl-release.conf file. After saving the file, restart the Releases server.