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Type:
Suggestion
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Resolution: Fixed
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None
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Component/s: Documentation - All
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None
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3
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5
Description
The current documentation does not clearly state that the avatars directory has a fixed location and cannot be moved using symlinks or configuration settings. This can lead administrators to assume they can relocate it similarly to the attachments directory, which does support symlinks.
Expected Improvement
- Update the official documentation to explicitly mention that the avatars directory must remain in its default location and cannot be relocated via symlinks or configuration.
- Provide additional technical details explaining why this limitation exists and if there are any alternative approaches.
Reasoning
Users who have experience moving other directories (such as attachments) may assume that avatars can also be relocated. However, since it does not support this, attempts to move it may lead to unexpected issues. A clearer explanation in the documentation would help prevent confusion and unnecessary troubleshooting.
Example of the error
2025-02-24 17:21:29,636+0000 http-nio-8080-exec-13 url: /jira/rest/api/latest/universal_avatar/type/project/owner/10200/avatar; user: admin ERROR admin 1041x284x2 1l3e0sh 10.224.44.23,172.50.0.2 /rest/api/latest/universal_avatar/type/project/owner/10200/avatar [c.a.j.r.v2.avatar.TemporaryAvatarHelper] Unable to create avatar. java.nio.file.FileAlreadyExistsException: /var/atlassian/application-data/jira/data/avatars at java.base/sun.nio.fs.UnixException.translateToIOException(UnixException.java:94) at java.base/sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:106) at java.base/sun.nio.fs.UnixException.rethrowAsIOException(UnixException.java:111) at java.base/sun.nio.fs.UnixFileSystemProvider.createDirectory(UnixFileSystemProvider.java:397) at java.base/java.nio.file.Files.createDirectory(Files.java:700) at java.base/java.nio.file.Files.createAndCheckIsDirectory(Files.java:807) at java.base/java.nio.file.Files.createDirectories(Files.java:753) at com.atlassian.dc.filestore.impl.filesystem.FilesystemPathWriter.writeInternal(FilesystemPathWriter.java:49)