5.3 Initializing Cache Directories

Before running Squid for the first time, and whenever you add a new cache_dir, you must initialize the cache directories. The command is simply:

% squid -z

For the UFS-related storage schemes (ufs, aufs, and diskd; see Chapter 8), this command creates the subdirectories needed under each cache_dir. You don't need to worry that Squid will wipe out your current cache directories (if any).

Ownership and permissions are a common problem at this stage. Squid runs under a certain user ID, specified with cache_effective_user in squid.conf. This user ID must have read and write permission under each cache_dir directory. If not, you'll see a message like this:

Creating Swap Directories

FATAL: Failed to make swap directory /usr/local/squid/var/cache/00:

    (13) Permission denied

In this case, you should make sure that all components of /usr/local/squid/var/cache are accessible to the user ID given in squid.conf. The final componentthe cache directorymust be writable by this user ID as well.

Cache directory initialization may take a couple of minutes, depending on the size and number of cache directories, and the speed of your disk drives. If you want to watch the progress, use the -X option:

% squid -zX