Zabbix Agent on Ubuntu 24.04 Can't open PID file /run/zabbix/zabbix_agentd.pid

[ModularConfusion]

Fresh install of zabbix agent on Ubuntu 24.04

Ran

wget https://repo.zabbix.com/zabbix/7.0/ubuntu/pool/main/z/zabbix-release/zabbix-release_7.0-1+ubuntu24.04_all.deb

then apt update and apt install zabbix-agent.

Setup my config, and it fails to start:

Oct 21 22:58:03 docker-minimal systemd[1]: Starting zabbix-agent.service - Zabbix Agent...
░░ Subject: A start job for unit zabbix-agent.service has begun execution
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
░░
░░ A start job for unit zabbix-agent.service has begun execution.
░░
░░ The job identifier is 62508.
Oct 21 22:58:05 docker-minimal systemd[1]: zabbix-agent.service: Can't open PID file /run/zabbix/zabbix_agentd.pid (yet?) after start: No such file or directory
Oct 21 22:58:05 docker-minimal systemd[1]: zabbix-agent.service: Failed with result 'protocol'.
░░ Subject: Unit failed
░░ Defined-By: systemd
░░ Support: http://www.ubuntu.com/support
░░
░░ The unit zabbix-agent.service has entered the 'failed' state with result 'protocol'.
Oct 21 22:58:05 docker-minimal systemd[1]: Failed to start zabbix-agent.service - Zabbix Agent.

I verified the /run/zabbix directory exists and is owned by the zabbix user and group.

I can use `touch` to create the zabbix_agentd.pid file and chown it by zabbix, but it is removed immediately upon starting the service and makes no difference.

[valerio.bozzolan]

I was affected by the very same problem Can't open PID file /run/zabbix/zabbix_agentd.pid on a new Ubuntu installation.

My situation:

• for Ubuntu 24.04 server (not minimal)
• official Zabbix.com package 7.0. Packages:
  • zabbix-proxy-sqlite3
  • zabbix-sql-scripts
  • https://www.zabbix.com/download?zabbix=7.0&os_distribution=ubuntu&os_vers ion=24.04&components=proxy&db=sqlite3&ws=

Were you under this exact situation? or another one?

Anyway, the official systemd service was not working for me. See the problematic content:

$ sudo systemctl cat zabbix-proxy
[Unit]
Description=Zabbix Proxy
After=syslog.target
After=network.target

[Service]
Environment="CONFFILE=/etc/zabbix/zabbix_proxy.conf"
EnvironmentFile=-/etc/default/zabbix-proxy
Type=forking
Restart=on-failure
PIDFile=/run/zabbix/zabbix_proxy.pid
KillMode=control-group
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/zabbix_proxy -c $CONFFILE
ExecStop=/bin/sh -c '[ -n "$1" ] && kill -s TERM "$1"' -- "$MAINPID"
RestartSec=10s
TimeoutSec=infinity
User=zabbix
Group=zabbix
LimitNOFILE=65536:1048576

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Solution: I've replaced the above systemd service with another one, more simple. Running this command:

sudo systemctl edit --full zabbix-proxy

Then replacing everything with this new content, and saving:

# https://www.zabbix.com/forum/zabbix-troubleshooting-and-problems/493087-zabbix-agent-on-ubuntu-24-04-can-t-open-pid-file-run-zabbix-zabbix_agentd-pid
[Unit]
Description=Zabbix Proxy (fixed)
Documentation=man:zabbix_proxy
After=syslog.target
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/zabbix_proxy --foreground
Restart=on-abnormal
RestartSec=10s
User=zabbix
Group=zabbix
TimeoutSec=infinity
LimitNOFILE=65536:1048576

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Then I've just restarted Zabbix and everything was OK.

sudo systemctl restart zabbix-proxy

I hope I've helped people in the same situation. You may then have other unrelated errors in the log file. In case, paste them, and we can see these together.

Anyway I'm curious why the Zabbix package for 7.0 LTS in Ubuntu 24.04 seems broken. Unfortunately I cannot search in the official bug tracker since it requires a Microsoft account, and I'm not a Microsoft customer (and I will never be one).

------

-Valerio, from Milano