Unable to check for updates from dashboard

Nibblet · Jul 5, 2023, 1:09 AM

Hi there,
I've been getting an 'unable to check for updates' on the dashboard widget for some time now and was wondering how to diagnose this.
In the past I discovered that pfSense uses SRV records to determine the package repositories, and due to our environment and the disconnect of DNS/use of proxies, I've managed to 'fake' this by setting up a fake packages.netgate.com and pkg.pfsense.org DNS record that had _https._tcp SRV records which are currently pointing to pkg00-atx.netgate.com and pkg01-atx.netgate.com. This is then accessed via the proxy which DOES have DNS and packages can be installed as expected.

Under the update manage, I can see that the branch for latest stable is being populated correctly (v2.7.0) yet this also shows 'Unable to check for updates'

Under the proxy I have ews.netgate.com, as well as the various package repos, and cannot see anything that the pfSense box requests returning anything other than a 200 result.

The cli pkg-static seems to also work fine and can update its various repositories with no errors.

Any ideas on why pfSense would be reporting 'unable to check for updates' in the face of the package manager seemingly working ok and the fact that the 'latest stable' branch information was updated ok?

JKnott · Jul 5, 2023, 1:09 AM

@Nibblet

I had the same problem. I just gave up trying to resolve it and just reinstalled.

SteveITS · Jul 5, 2023, 1:13 AM

@Nibblet Did you run through https://docs.netgate.com/pfsense/en/latest/troubleshooting/upgrades.html#upgrade-not-offered-library-errors ?

Nibblet · Jul 5, 2023, 3:15 AM

@SteveITS there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with the package manager, but its very hard to actual diagnose why it is saying it cant check for upgrades.
I don't want to go too far down the list of commands in that guide as it looks like it might try to force an upgrade, which, while that will be the ultimate endgame, I cant do without scheduling - and if I'm going to do that then I'll just do an ISO based upgrade from the console.

The pkg-static tool seems to work fine though, as in my previous post, and all other packages except the 'upgrade notification' dashboard widget (and whatever is detecting things in the upgrade GUI option) seem to work fine. It even detects the pfSense-upgrade package..

[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root: pkg-static info -x pfSense-upgrade
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
pfSense-upgrade-1.0_15

and the list of 'branch' options display the Latest as 2.7.0 as would be expected.

I'm just trying to work out what the widget is trying to do to see where it is failing, as whatever it is seems unrelated to the pkg tool as everything there seems to be working as expected.

This is the result from a 'clean' and then an 'update' and then using the cli pfSense update check..

[snip]
/var/cache/pkg/pfSense-repo-2.6.0_13.pkg
/var/cache/pkg/pfSense-repo-2.7.0~9baeeb3c04.pkg
/var/cache/pkg/pfSense-repo-2.7.0.pkg
/var/cache/pkg/pfSense-repo-2.7.0_1~49556d0d54.pkg
/var/cache/pkg/pfSense-repo-2.7.0_1.pkg
The cleanup will free 236 MiB
Deleting files: 100%
All done
[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root: pkg-static update
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pfSense-core repository is up to date.
Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
pfSense repository is up to date.
All repositories are up to date.
[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root: pfSense-upgrade -d -c

Updating repositories metadata...
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pfSense-core repository is up to date.
Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
pfSense repository is up to date.
All repositories are up to date.
2.7.0 version of pfSense is available
[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root:

Just doesn't work in the dashboard widget and the GUI 'upgrade' option isn't available (but the latest branch still shows 2.7.0)

Nibblet · Jul 5, 2023, 3:17 AM

Well, that paste didnt work, let me remove the quoting doo-dads)

[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root: pfSense-upgrade -d -c
Updating repositories metadata...
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pfSense-core repository is up to date.
Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
pfSense repository is up to date.
All repositories are up to date.
2.7.0 version of pfSense is available

stephenw10 · Jul 5, 2023, 1:32 PM

You also see that in System > Update?

Try resaving the update branch in System > Update > Update Settings.
If that doesn't work try chnaging the branch to 2.6 (Previous) and then back to 2.7 (Current Stable).

Nibblet · Jul 6, 2023, 4:10 AM

@stephenw10 After doing that I end up with the same "Unable to check for updates"

This all seems to respond very quickly, like it isn't reaching out to anything across the network to come to the conclusion that it is unable to check for updates.

On a firewall I have on my home network that IS working, the update checks seem to take seconds, and a small gear cog is spinning while this happens, on these 'internal' firewalls the 'unable to check for updates' is near on immediate.

Is there something other than the SRV records that it would be trying to check for? Keeping in mind, the cli pkg-static is working fine and can happily download data, and updating packages from the GUI also works as expected - it is just the OS checks that are failing to detect a new version available, and only then partially, as the branch availability shows "Previous stable version (2.6.0 DEPRECIATED)" as well as "Current Stable Release (2.7.0-RELEASE)"

One thing I did notice though, was using pkg rather than pkg-static results in a library failure..
[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root: pkg
ld-elf.so.1: /lib/libc.so.7: version FBSD_1.7 required by /usr/local/sbin/pkg not found
[2.6.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense-firewall]/root:

Could the widget be using pkg rather than pkg-static?

Nibblet · Jul 6, 2023, 4:10 AM

OK, that wasn't the case either - deciding that pkg was broken I renamed it then symlinked pkg-static to /usr/sbin/pkg and still get the same behaviour.
If I were to try to look through the sources of this widget, would anyone know where to start? (I.e - is it a separate package maybe? or is it part of the core build..?)

stephenw10 · Jul 6, 2023, 1:01 PM

Does it upgrade to 2.7 as expected if you just run pfSense-upgrade -d ?

Nibblet · Jul 7, 2023, 1:53 AM

@stephenw10 I can confirm that running the pfSense-upgrade -d from the CLI does indeed work :-)
To be fair, this is probably good enough for me - as I have other methods that do work to let me know there is a new version pending

Nibblet · Jul 7, 2023, 8:20 AM

Also to add - version 2.7.0 also seems to have the same problem - package management works, CLI package stuff works, but the update widget immediately fails with no indication as to why.

stephenw10 · Jul 7, 2023, 2:09 PM

And also on the System > Update page?

Nibblet · Jul 9, 2023, 2:05 AM

@stephenw10 That is correct, post upgrade neither the dashboard or system -> updates completes an update check and shows the same error message.

stephenw10 · Jul 10, 2023, 3:27 PM

Check the version of repoc you have:

pkg info -x pfsense

Nibblet · Jul 17, 2023, 12:26 AM

@stephenw10
[2.7.0-RELEASE][admin@pfSense]/root: pkg info -x pfsense
pfSense-2.7.0
pfSense-Status_Monitoring-php82-1.8_3
pfSense-base-2.7.0
pfSense-boot-2.7.0
pfSense-default-config-2.7.0
pfSense-kernel-pfSense-2.7.0
pfSense-pkg-API-1.6
pfSense-pkg-Open-VM-Tools-10.1.0_5,1
pfSense-pkg-openvpn-client-export-1.8
pfSense-pkg-pfBlockerNG-3.2.0_5
pfSense-pkg-squid-0.4.46
pfSense-rc-2.7.0
pfSense-repo-2.7.0_2
pfSense-repoc-20230616
pfSense-upgrade-1.0_33
php82-pfSense-module-0.95

(Sorry it took a while, work got busy)

callinectes · Jul 21, 2023, 1:55 PM

@stephenw10 I am having the same problem. Upgrade response was working fine a few weeks ago - before 2.7.0 came out. Now, if I run pkg info -x pfsense I get: ld-elf.so.1: Shared object "libssl.so.30" not found, required by "pkg"

If I run pkg-static info -x pfSense-upgrade I get: pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
pfSense-upgrade-1.0_15

If I run pfSense-upgrade -d -c I get:

Updating repositories metadata...
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
repository pfSense-core has no meta file, using default settings
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
Unable to update repository pfSense-core
Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
repository pfSense has no meta file, using default settings
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
Unable to update repository pfSense
Error updating repositories!
Upgrading pkg...
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
repository pfSense-core has no meta file, using default settings
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
Unable to update repository pfSense-core
Updating pfSense repository catalogue...
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
repository pfSense has no meta file, using default settings
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package
Unable to update repository pfSense
Error updating repositories!

Any ideas? This is happening on two separate systems - one running 2.6.0 and one running 2.7.0-devel.

Gertjan · Jul 21, 2023, 1:55 PM

@callinectes said in Unable to check for updates from dashboard:

If I run pfSense-upgrade -d -c I get:

Updating repositories metadata...
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended

Can you tell us what happens when you executed the recommend action ?

callinectes · Jul 21, 2023, 2:02 PM

@Gertjan Thanks for the response. I assume you mean running "pkg bootstrap -f"? I cannot do that right now but will attempt later and post back.

SteveITS · Jul 21, 2023, 2:14 PM

@callinectes said in Unable to check for updates from dashboard:

Shared object "libssl.so.30" not found, required by "pkg"

That error often means you have tried to install or update a package with the update branch set to a later pfSense version. (it defaults to Current) That tries to update any required libraries.

https://redmine.pfsense.org/issues/10464

There are a couple suggestions in that redmine but otherwise one can reinstall and restore from backup.

stephenw10 · Jul 24, 2023, 8:23 PM

Seeing that lib error usually only means the version of pkg has been updated. That's normal as it checks for a new version every time it looks for pfSense updates.
It shouldn't be a problem since the pfSense pkg commands all use pkg-static.

@callinectes said in Unable to check for updates from dashboard:

Updating repositories metadata...
pkg-static: Warning: Major OS version upgrade detected. Running "pkg bootstrap -f" recommended
Updating pfSense-core repository catalogue...
pkg-static: An error occured while fetching package

Seeing that I would try running pkg-static -d update to see what error is shown there.