DRAFT KB-XXXX Unable to start the Appian search server

Symptoms

When trying to start the Appian search server using start.sh/bat, users may see the following error in the command line:

Unable to run Appian search server.

No search server process is started.

Cause

The start.sh script attempts to create a file called ss.pid containing the pid of the search server process validates that the search server has been correctly started. If the file cannot be created, the search server does not start. Issues with creating the ss.pid file can be caused by running the script as an invalid user or restrictive permissions on the <APPIAN_HOME>/search-server/bin folder.

Action

Ensure the user running the script has the correct permissions over the search-server directory and is the owner.
Ensure the search-server directory has the correct permissions for the user.

Affected Versions

This article applies to all versions of Appian.

Last Reviewed: April 2018