JIRA error Ranking failed due to LOCK_HASH is not null can be resolved with a bit of help from Bobcares.

At Bobcares, we offer solutions for every query, big and small, as a part of our Server Management Service.

Let’s take a look at how our Support Team recently helped a customer when they come across the JIRA error: Ranking failed.

What to do if JIRA error Ranking failed due to LOCK_HASH is not null?

Are you coming across the following message while performing issue ranking in a board:

JIRA Software cannot execute the rank operation. This board has recently 
been configured to use the Rank field. The system must be re-indexed 
before you can rank issues. Ask your administrator to perform a manual re-index.

We will also come across the following messages in the atlassian-jira.log during project creation or another action that triggers ranking operations:

2021-11-11 02:19:15,138 NodeReindexServiceThread:thread-1 DEBUG [greenhopper.service.lexorank.LexoRankOperation] Failed to acquire a lock on the max marker row and previous row for rank field[id=xxxx], retrying rank intially 
2021-11-11 02:19:15,138 NodeReindexServiceThread:thread-1 DEBUG [greenhopper.service.lexorank.LexoRankOperation] RANK_INITIAL end [fieldId=xxxx, issueToRankIssueId=xxxx, issueToRankAroundIssueId=null 
2021-11-11 02:19:15,138 NodeReindexServiceThread:thread-1 WARN [greenhopper.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankCFType] Unable to retrieve rank for field [xxxx] and issue [xxxxx] 
2021-11-11 02:19:15,138 NodeReindexServiceThread:thread-1 WARN [greenhopper.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankCFType] gh.lexorank.service.error.retrytimeout 
2021-11-11 02:19:15,138 NodeReindexServiceThread:thread-1 WARN [greenhopper.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankIndexer] Could not retrieve LexoRank value for issue[id=xxxxx]. Indexing max LexoRank value instead

Furthermore, you may also come across entries like the one below:

2021-08-30 19:15:41,023 JiraTaskExectionThread-1 WARN localadmin 1154x139x1 xxx xx.xx.xx.xx /secure/admin/IndexReIndex.jspa [c.a.g.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankCFType] Unable to retrieve rank for field [xxxx] and issue [xxxxx]
2021-08-30 19:15:41,023 JiraTaskExectionThread-1 WARN localadmin 1154x139x1 xxx xx.xx.xx.xx /secure/admin/IndexReIndex.jspa [c.a.g.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankCFType] gh.lexorank.service.error.retrytimeout
2021-08-30 19:15:41,023 JiraTaskExectionThread-1 WARN localadmin 1154x139x1 xxx xx.xx.xx.xx /secure/admin/IndexReIndex.jspa [c.a.g.customfield.lexorank.LexoRankIndexer] Could not retrieve LexoRank value for issue[id=xxxxx]. Indexing max LexoRank value instead.
2021-08-30 19:15:41,038 JiraTaskExectionThread-1 DEBUG localadmin 1154x139x1 xxxx xx.xx.xx.xx /secure/admin/IndexReIndex.jspa [c.a.g.service.lexorank.LexoRankOperation] Failed to acquire a lock on the max marker row and previous row for rank field[id=xxx], retrying rank initially

The error may be due to failures in the communication with the database, JIRA crashing during a ranking operation, or using plugins like Configuration Manager for JIRA.

According to our Support Techs, these steps will help diagnose the situation before delving into the solution:

1. First, we have to enable Lexorank debugging packages seen below to the DEBUG level:

   com.atlassian.greenhopper.service.lexorank.balance 
   com.atlassian.greenhopper.service.lexorank 
   com.atlassian.greenhopper.service.lexorank.LexoRankStatisticsAgent

2. Next, we have to identify if there are issues with values besides NULL in  “LOCK_HASH” column:

   SELECT COUNT("ID") FROM "AO_60DB71_LEXORANK" WHERE "LOCK_HASH" is NOT NULL AND "TYPE" in ('0','2');

   If this results in a value higher than 1, we can be sure that there is something wrong with the LOCK_HASH value.

How to resolve JIRA error Ranking failed due to LOCK_HASH is not null

1. First, we have to back up the JIRA database.

   
2. Then, we will shut down JIRA.
3. Next, we have to run the following SQL command:

   UPDATE "AO_60DB71_LEXORANK" SET "LOCK_HASH" = NULL, "LOCK_TIME" = NULL;
4. After that, we have to start JIRA again and run a Lock Re-index operation.
5. Then, we will run LexoRank re-balance for all fields.

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Conclusion

To conclude, the skilled Support Engineers at Bobcares demonstrated what to do if we come across the JIRA error Ranking failed.