Jira fails to start with DataAccessException: Cannot load the application properties metadata file
Platform Notice: Data Center Only - This article only applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.
Note that this KB was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center KBs for non-Data-Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.
*Except Fisheye and Crucible
Summary
Jira instance is not accessible. You will see your instance is up and running but when attempting to access Jira the page is not loading.
Diagnosis
The following HTTP ERROR 503 is observed when attempting to access Jira: "This page isn't working xxxx is currently unable to handle this request."
The following error is observed in Useful log files in Jira Data Center – Unable to load jpm.xml file:
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2022-05-03 10:14:38,999+0200 JIRA-Bootstrap ERROR [c.a.jira.startup.ComponentContainerLauncher] A fatal error occurred during initialisation. JIRA has been locked.
io.atlassian.util.concurrent.LazyReference$InitializationException: io.atlassian.util.concurrent.LazyReference$InitializationException: com.atlassian.jira.exception.DataAccessException: Cannot load the application properties metadata file jpm.xml
at io.atlassian.util.concurrent.LazyReference.getInterruptibly(LazyReference.java:156)
at io.atlassian.util.concurrent.LazyReference.get(LazyReference.java:116)
at io.atlassian.util.concurrent.ResettableLazyReference.get(ResettableLazyReference.java:95) Looking further into the error stack trace, it seems like the file is malformed or corrupted, causing Jira to not be able to be started:
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Caused by: org.dom4j.DocumentException: Error on line 2211 of document : The markup in the document following the root element must be well-formed. Nested exception: The markup in the document following the root element must be well-formed.
at org.dom4j.io.SAXReader.read(SAXReader.java:344)
at org.dom4j.io.SAXReader.read(SAXReader.java:250)
at com.atlassian.jira.config.properties.MetadataLoader.loadMetadata(MetadataLoader.java:62)
at com.atlassian.jira.config.properties.MetadataLoader.loadMetadata(MetadataLoader.java:43)
... 218 more
2022-05-03 10:14:39,077+0200 JIRA-Bootstrap ERROR [c.a.jira.health.HealthChecks] We couldn't start JIRA Cause
The jpm.xml file, which is placed at$JIRA_INSTALL/atlassian-jira/WEB-INF/classes directory, is corrupted or malformed.
Solution
Restore the file from a previous backup if available.
Alternatively, you could fix the issue if the error is clear. e.g. <property> element was incorrectly added at the end of the file.
If you are unsure of how to fix the file, you can always raise a support ticket and we will assist you.
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<jira-properties>
<properties>
<property>
<key>jira.ajax.autocomplete.issuepicker.enabled</key>
<default-value>true</default-value>
<type>boolean</type>
<admin-editable>false</admin-editable>
<sysadmin-editable>false</sysadmin-editable>
</property>
...................
...................
<property>
<key>jira.project.permission.helper.beta.fix.enabled</key>
<default-value>false</default-value>
<type>boolean</type>
<requires-restart>true</requires-restart>
</property>
</properties>
</jira-properties>
<property>
<key>jira.thumbnails.scaling.factor</key>
<default-value>4</default-value>
<type>uint</type>
<admin-editable>false</admin-editable>
<sysadmin-editable>true</sysadmin-editable>
<requires-restart>false</requires-restart>
</property>Was this helpful?