[chef] cookbook upload: HTTP 500: Too many links

hiya. seeing this error on one of my chef servers. anyone run into this?
know what to do?

chef:~/ops/chef-repo$ knife cookbook upload -a -o ./cookbooks/ -V
Uploading activemq                    [1.0.0]
INFO: Saving activemq
INFO: Validating ruby files
INFO: Validating templates
INFO: Syntax OK
INFO: HTTP Request Returned 500 Internal Server Error: Too many links - 
/var/cache/chef/sandboxes/26f2b236b39b403ca272034f5fa95599
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 1/5 in 4s
INFO: HTTP Request Returned 500 Internal Server Error: Too many links - 
/var/cache/chef/sandboxes/242d0dbbe1a84a98b11a6ab776fb5ddd
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 2/5 in 7s
INFO: HTTP Request Returned 500 Internal Server Error: Too many links - 
/var/cache/chef/sandboxes/848dbce5df314dfcaaed178c1e50856f
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 3/5 in 11s
INFO: HTTP Request Returned 500 Internal Server Error: Too many links - 
/var/cache/chef/sandboxes/5e975b05a06347c0bb949cbe1c6f549e


i try uploading just one cookbook, and the error is different:

chef:~/ops/chef-repo$ knife cookbook upload s3cmd -o ./cookbooks/
Uploading s3cmd             [0.0.1]
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 1/5 in 3s
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 2/5 in 7s
ERROR: Server returned error for https://chef.dr.spergtastic.com/sandboxes, ;
retrying 3/5 in 10s


i tried restarting couchdb and chef-server, still no joy.

chef-server is 0.10.8-1, ubuntu natty.
this is a secondary chef-server in my infrastructure serving a DR
datacenter. it loads the same sets of cookbooks, data bags, etc from
chef-repo in git.

fwiw, i realized i hadn't been compacting couchdb here. the chef couchdb
on the fs was 1.9G. i ran compact and it's now 45Mb. but i'm still seeing
the above error.

also fwiw, above compact was done like so, not via chef-server cookbook:

/usr/bin/curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST 
http://localhost:5984/chef/_compact
/usr/bin/curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST 
http://localhost:5984/chef/_view_cleanup
for view in registrations sandboxes id_map clients checksums cookbooks 
data_bags nodes roles users; do
    /usr/bin/curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST 
http://localhost:5984/chef/_compact/$view
    done

thanks
kallen




and one more bit of log in case it's helpful:

merb : chef-server (api) : worker (port 4000) ~ Started request handling: Wed 
Feb 08 05:47:27 +0000 2012
merb : chef-server (api) : worker (port 4000) ~ Params: {"action"=>"create", 
"checksums"=>{"83580e30b45b9a8e6b3359d47
d14208e"=>nil, "d217102ad8b64da1aa17218621820d49"=>nil, 
"099b134c847994fc237be5593604fad7"=>nil, "cd33cd00aad2e9f89a6
74baa9c49b24c"=>nil, "cd357558feae778ce719e03dedd4f074"=>nil, 
"bfccb2c807ce7d9fdb9c6a2cf6f49133"=>nil}, "controller"=
>"sandboxes"}
merb : chef-server (api) : worker (port 4000) ~ Too many links - 
/var/cache/chef/sandboxes/26f2b236b39b403ca272034f5fa95599 - (Errno::EMLINK)
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:243:in `mkdir'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:243:in `fu_mkdir'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:217:in `mkdir_p'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:215:in `reverse_each'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:215:in `mkdir_p'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:201:in `each'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/fileutils.rb:201:in `mkdir_p'
/usr/share/chef-server-api/app/controllers/sandboxes.rb:76:in `create'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/controller/abstract_controller.rb:315:in `send'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/controller/abstract_controller.rb:315:in 
`_call_action'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/controller/abstract_controller.rb:289:in 
`_dispatch'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/controller/merb_controller.rb:252:in `_dispatch'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/dispatch/dispatcher.rb:102:in `dispatch_action'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/dispatch/dispatcher.rb:74:in `handle'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/dispatch/dispatcher.rb:36:in `handle'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/rack/application.rb:17:in `call'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/rack/middleware/static.rb:28:in `call'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/rack/content_length.rb:13:in `call'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/connection.rb:76:in `pre_process'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/connection.rb:74:in `catch'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/connection.rb:74:in `pre_process'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/connection.rb:57:in `process'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/connection.rb:42:in `receive_data'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/eventmachine.rb:257:in `run_machine'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/eventmachine.rb:257:in `run'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/backends/base.rb:57:in `start'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/thin/server.rb:156:in `start'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/rack/adapter/thin.rb:30:in `start_server'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/rack/adapter/abstract.rb:298:in `start_at_port'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/rack/adapter/abstract.rb:128:in `start'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/server.rb:174:in `bootup'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/server.rb:159:in `daemonize'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/server.rb:143:in `fork'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/server.rb:143:in `daemonize'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core/server.rb:35:in `start'
/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/merb-core.rb:170:in `start'
/usr/sbin/chef-server:86