Unable to Start JIRA applications Config Tool due to No X11 DISPLAY variable was set error
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
Symptoms
Attempting to start the JIRA applications configuration tool in Linux fails with the following error in the shell:
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jira@server:~/bin$ ./config.sh
Exception in thread "main" java.awt.HeadlessException:
No X11 DISPLAY variable was set, but this program performed an operation which requires it.
at java.awt.GraphicsEnvironment.checkHeadless(GraphicsEnvironment.java:159)
at java.awt.Window.<init>(Window.java:431)
at java.awt.Frame.<init>(Frame.java:403)
at java.awt.Frame.<init>(Frame.java:368)
at javax.swing.JFrame.<init>(JFrame.java:163)
at com.atlassian.jira.configurator.gui.ConfiguratorFrame.<init>(ConfiguratorFrame.java:45)
at com.atlassian.jira.configurator.Configurator.startGui(Configurator.java:54)
at com.atlassian.jira.configurator.Configurator.main(Configurator.java:41)Diagnosis
Linux is being run on a headless Linux server (it has no monitor) and accessed remotely.
Cause
The JIRA applications configuration tool requires the X11 Window System to display its GUI. As the Linux system is running in headless, X11 is not available when connecting remotely.
Solution
Resolution
Enable X11 forwarding when connecting to the Linux server - this will allow the config tool to appear on the computer that is connecting to the server. This can be done with the following:
Remotely connect using the below flag with SSH:
1ssh -X jira@serverRun the JIRA application configuration tool, as in Using the JIRA application configuration tool.
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