Elasticsearch SearchContextMissingException during 'scan & scroll' query with Spring Data Elasticsearch

Question

I am using elasticsearch 2.2.0 with default cluster configuration. I encounter a problem with scan and scroll query using spring data elasticsearch. When I execute the query I get error like this:

[2016-06-29 12:45:52,046][DEBUG][action.search.type       ] [Vector] [155597] Failed to execute query phase
RemoteTransportException[[Vector][10.132.47.95:9300][indices:data/read/search[phase/scan/scroll]]]; nested: SearchContextMissingException[No search context found for id [155597]];
Caused by: SearchContextMissingException[No search context found for id [155597]]
    at org.elasticsearch.search.SearchService.findContext(SearchService.java:611)
    at org.elasticsearch.search.SearchService.executeScan(SearchService.java:311)
    at org.elasticsearch.search.action.SearchServiceTransportAction$SearchScanScrollTransportHandler.messageReceived(SearchServiceTransportAction.java:433)
    at org.elasticsearch.search.action.SearchServiceTransportAction$SearchScanScrollTransportHandler.messageReceived(SearchServiceTransportAction.java:430)
    at org.elasticsearch.transport.TransportService$4.doRun(TransportService.java:350)
    at org.elasticsearch.common.util.concurrent.AbstractRunnable.run(AbstractRunnable.java:37)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:1142)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(ThreadPoolExecutor.java:617)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)

My 'scan & scroll' code:

public List<T> getAllElements(SearchQuery searchQuery) {
    searchQuery.setPageable(new PageRequest(0, PAGE_SIZE));
    String scrollId = elasticsearchTemplate.scan(searchQuery, 1000, false);
    List<T> allElements = new LinkedList<>();
    boolean hasRecords = true;
    while (hasRecords) {
        Page<T> page = elasticsearchTemplate.scroll(scrollId, 5000, resultMapper);
        if (page.hasContent()) {
            allElements.addAll(page.getContent());
        } else {
            hasRecords = false;
        }
    }
    elasticsearchTemplate.clearScroll(scrollId);
    return allElements;
}

When my query result size is less than PAGE_SIZE parameter, then error like this occurs five times. I guess that it is one per shard. When result size is bigger than PAGE_SIZE, the error occurs few times more. I've tried to refactor my code to not call:

Page<T> page = elasticsearchTemplate.scroll(scrollId, 5000, resultMapper);

when I'm sure that the page has no content. But it works only if PAGE_SIZE is bigger than query result, so it is no the solution at all.

I have to add that it is problem only on elasticsearch side. On the client side the errors is hidden and in each case the query result is correct. Has anybody knows what causes this issue?

Thank you for help,

Simon.

Answer 1

I get this error if the ElasticSearch system closes the connection. Typically it's exactly what @Val said - dead connections. Things sometimes die in ES for no good reason - master node down, data node is too congested, bad performing queries, Kibana running at the same time you are in middle of querying...I've been hit by all of these at one time or another to get this error.

Suggestion: Up the initial connection time - 1000L might be too short for it to get what it needs. It won't hurt if the query ends sooner.

This also happens randomly when I try to pull too much data quickly; you might have huge documents and trying to pull PAGESIZE of 50,000 might be a little too much. We don't know what you chose for PAGESIZE.

Suggestion: Lower PAGESIZE to something like 500. Or 20. See if these smaller values slow down the errors.

I know I have less of these problems after moving to ES 2.3.3.