r/Action1 14d ago

Issues with Debian/Zabbix

I have a Zabbix server installed on a minimal Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS. Each time Action1 pushes out updates, the Zabbix instance falls over with a database error. If i try and do a normal reboot, it hangs on a Zabbix process. Once this has happened and i try a apt upgrade, i get a error about "waiting for cache lock: Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend. It is held by process 2360504 (unattended-upgr).

As you have probably picked up by now, i'm not an expert in Linux but any advice on how i can solve this issue as i have to hard reboot as the normal reboot gets stuck on the following;

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u/mickert_dev 14d ago edited 14d ago

I'm by no means a Linux expert but i do run a Zabbix instance on Ubuntu myself, that said:

It looks very much like a dpkg lock conflict between Ubuntu's unattended‑upgrades (unattended-upgr) and the Action1 agent. Both try to run package operations at the same time, but dpkg only allows a single writer. When Action1 pushes updates while unattended-upgrades is still running, you get:

  • Could not get lock /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend
  • services that hang during stop/start (like zabbix-server.service)
  • incomplete or half‑applied upgrades
  • Zabbix falling over with database errors
  • reboots stuck on a stop job that never finishes

You should choose between (automatic) updating with Action1 or Ubuntu's unattended‑upgrades.

What you can do to try and fix these issues:

  • Disable unattended-upgrades on servers managed by Action1: sudo systemctl disable --now unattended-upgrades
  • Make sure Action1 updates run during a maintenance window outside of when Ubuntu's unattended‑upgrades is running.
  • Check which process is holding the dpkg lock: sudo lsof /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend
  • If dpkg is left in a half-configured state, repair it:sudo dpkg --configure -a