How to configure Unattended Upgrades?

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,
1

What type of hardware are you using: Old laptop or computer
What YunoHost version are you running: 12.0.17
What app is this about: Unattended Upgrades

Describe your issue

I installed this app but there’s no information about how to configure it, it just says to “have a look” at various config files.

Looking back through the forums it looks like there use to be a dropdown/GUI to configure it but that was removed or something? Because it’s not in my install.

Specifically I’d like it to run security and app upgrades at ~4AM.

Thanks.

Share relevant logs or error messages

none

1 Like
2

Did you configure it during installation using the install questions ?
Or they didn’t show up ?

Right now there is indeed no config panel (the GUI you’re mentioning), so it has to be reconfigured in the config files listed in the admin panel.
That said, one “easier” way to do it is to remove and install again the app, it will ask the configuration option again.

1 Like
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It’s been a while since I installed it so I don’t remember what I did, but it was not upgrading anything, I was doing it all manually. I went ahead and uninstalled, reconfigured and reinstalled. I’ll let you know how that works.

At best, the documentation could be updated, as it still points to a dead link for configuring:

You can configure this app easily by using the experimental config-panel feature

To modify any option of unattended-upgrades, please have a look to /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades and /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/02periodic.
Unattended-upgrades will be executed every day at midnight.

To modify the configuration of apticron, please have a look to /etc/apticron/apticron.conf.
Apticron will be executed, depending of the requested configuration at 8 p.m. and 2 a.m. If you want to change this schedule, please have a look to the cron file /etc/cron.d/apticron.

So does it run at midnight, 8PM or 2AM? I would like to configure it to run at 4AM daily. The last file location (to change the schedule) just says:

cron entry for apticron
Commented because yunohost package unattended_upgrades use systemd config 39 * * * * root if test -x /usr/sbin/apticron; then /usr/sbin/apticron --cron; else true; fi

Which I don’t know how to decode but I don’t want to mess with it.

4

Yeah it’s still not doing anything.

5

I just loaded up Cockpit and noticed that it says the service is “not running”. How do I start it? It’s not visible under “services” in the GUI.

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bump

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bumpety bump

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hi,
Did you verify in CLI the status?

sudo systemctl status apt-daily-upgrade.timer
sudo systemctl status apt-daily.timer

To start them :

sudo systemctl start apt-daily-upgrade.timer
sudo systemctl start apt-daily.timer

To enable them to start at boot :

sudo systemctl enable apt-daily-upgrade.timer
sudo systemctl enable apt-daily.timer

I don’t use yunohost unattended-upgrades package but in your post, i see unattended-upgrades and apticron.

Apticron only notify when there are upgrades, Unattended-upgrades can upgrades your system automatically.

9

It says it’s “enabled” and “loaded”, whatever that means, but also says it’s been waiting for a month.

     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/apt-daily-upgrade.timer; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (waiting) since Sun 2025-05-11 17:31:16 CDT; 1 month 16 days ago
    Trigger: Sat 2025-06-28 06:11:10 CDT; 13h left
   Triggers: ● apt-daily-upgrade.service

Notice: journal has been rotated since unit was started, output may be incomplete.

○ sudo.service
     Loaded: masked (Reason: Unit sudo.service is masked.)
     Active: inactive (dead)

● apt-daily.timer - Daily apt download activities
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/apt-daily.timer; enabled; preset: enabled)
     Active: active (waiting) since Sun 2025-05-11 17:31:16 CDT; 1 month 16 days ago
    Trigger: Sat 2025-06-28 04:13:04 CDT; 11h left
   Triggers: ● apt-daily.service

Notice: journal has been rotated since unit was started, output may be incomplete.```
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To list current timers:

systemctl list-timers apt-daily*  --all
11 
Sat 2025-06-28 14:38:05 CDT 7min left Sat 2025-06-28 04:57:06 CDT 9h ago apt-daily.timer         apt-daily.service
Sun 2025-06-29 06:51:29 CDT 16h left  Sat 2025-06-28 06:11:46 CDT 8h ago apt-daily-upgrade.timer apt-daily-upgrade.service

2 timers listed.```
12

The service does work correctly.
If you really want to run upgrades at 4:00, create two override files* for systemd by running :

sudo systemctl edit apt-daily.timer

[Timer]
OnCalendar=
OnCalendar=*-*-* 03:55
RandomizedDelaySec=0h
Persistent=true

and

sudo systemctl edit apt-daily-upgrade.timer

[Timer]
OnCalendar=
OnCalendar=*-*-* 04:00
RandomizedDelaySec=0m
Persistent=true

*You can also modify these files instead of creating override files:

/lib/systemd/system/apt-daily.timer
/lib/systemd/system/apt-daily-upgrade.timer

To receive the notification email, modify these lines :

sudo nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades

Unattended-Upgrade::Mail "your email";
Unattended-Upgrade::MailReport "always";


sudo nano /etc/apticron/apticron.conf

Modify EMAIL line.

And finally

sudo systemctl daemon-reload 
sudo systemctl restart apt-daily.timer apt-daily-upgrade.timer
13

it’s the date since the service was started

14

The service does not work, correctly or otherwise. If it did the packages would be getting updated, but they’re not.

15

It’s a pleasure to help you.

Definitely it does work.
Another thing is that it is not properly configured (you don’t remember the parameters given during installation)

Reading the docs may be helpful.

16

Denying that the problem exists is not helping me.

It definitely does not work. Once again, if it was working, my packages would be upgraded automatically and without my attendance (as the name imples), and they’re not.

I don’t need to remember, because if you would have actually read the entire conversation, I uninstalled and reinstalled it. That’s assuming the “correct” parameters are applied upon installation. If they’re not, then that’s another problem that needs to be addressed.

I wouldn’t come here without having read the docs. They were not helpful.

17 
unattended-upgrades --debug --dry-run
18

#+1 on the Issue

I’ve installed it a month ago, same parameters, and it doesn’t upgrade.
Commenting for help

19

Hello @distress_mistress
What does return apt list --upgradable and can you share your /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades ?

20

Wow, what a quick reply, thank you! To be honest, and I don’t want to take over the topic of this thread, I don’t even know where I should enter that comment.
I’m hosting yunohost on a VPS and I’ve ssh-ed onto it as admin.
I entered

sudo apt list --upgradable
Listing... Done

Which makes a lot of sense, as I updated it today, after a lot of packages were out of date.
Next I tried:

admin_name@servername:~$ /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
-bash: /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades: Permission denied
admin_name@servername:~$ sudo /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades
sudo: /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/50unattended-upgrades: command not found

Just for context, those are the directories I have:
admin_name@servername:~$ ls -la
total 24
drwxr-xr-x+ 2 admin_name admin_name 4096 Feb 20 21:46 .
drwxr-xr-x 17 root root 4096 Feb 28 23:27 ..
-rw------- 1 admin_name admin_name 276 Feb 20 21:46 .bash_history
-rw-r–r-- 1 admin_name admin_name 220 Feb 20 18:36 .bash_logout
-rw-r–r-- 1 admin_name admin_name 3526 Feb 20 18:36 .bashrc
-rw-r–r-- 1 admin_name admin_name 0 Feb 20 18:36 .cloud-locale-test.skip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 admin_name admin_name 6 Feb 20 18:36 media → /media
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 Feb 20 18:58 Multimedia → /home/yunohost.multimedia/admin_name
-rw-r–r-- 1 admin_name admin_name 807 Feb 20 18:36 .profile

Do you have an idea where I went wrong?
Thanks a lot!