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Apache 2.4 doesn't start with AH00023: Couldn't create the rewrite-map mutex

Problem: Apache 2.4.6 doesn't start on CentOS 7. error.log shows this confusing error message:

[Mon Mar 16 08:55:03.254104 2026] [core:emerg] [pid 3946] (28)No space left on device: AH00023: Couldn't create the rewrite-map mutex
[Mon Mar 16 08:55:03.254178 2026] [:emerg] [pid 3946] AH00020: Configuration Failed, exiting

We don't have problems with free space on storage device, so this message looks really weird:

# df -h
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
devtmpfs        895M     0  895M   0% /dev
tmpfs           920M  105M  815M  12% /run
tmpfs           920M     0  920M   0% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/sda1        50G   14G   36G  28% /
 
# df -i
Filesystem       Inodes  IUsed    IFree IUse% Mounted on
devtmpfs         228953    296   228657    1% /dev
tmpfs            235265    521   234744    1% /run
tmpfs            235265     16   235249    1% /sys/fs/cgroup
/dev/sda1      14305488 480611 13824877    4% /
# cat /proc/sys/kernel/sem
250     32000   32      128

Solution:

# sysctl -w kernel.sem="250 32000 100 256"
kernel.sem = 250 32000 100 256

After that change apache starts normally without complains.

Also some of this apache config-file changes might help:

Mutex fcntl:/var/run/httpd default

or

Mutex flock:/var/run/httpd default

I haven't tested it yet.

Posted in *nix, Howto.

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