Hi,
I'm struggling to recover a plesk-server that has been running for a while. I have no explanation for this; I don't recall doing relevant configuration changes.
Seemingly this error-state was triggered by configuring nginx to host an additional webpage on the command-line, i.e. creating a new configuration.
However, this is apparently not the cause of the error. From all plausible reasons, a failed upgrade appears to be the most relastic reason. Still, I'm struggling to understand what had happened.
The server is running Debian 12 / Bookworm an Plesk 18.0.
I struggle to describe the actual error, intuitively, I'd describe this error as "plesk is installed only halfway" but this contradict plesk running for years.
Let me try to describe the current state
1. There is no plesk binary on the system - no idea, why.
2. When I lunch the plesk installer, it tries to prepare my system for installation but fails:
I don't understand what makes awk failing, here.
Looking at /var/log/plesk/install/plesk_18.0.71_installation.log it says:
I don't see why the database could be missing, because I didn't do anything to it.
For me, it makes no sense the installer fails upgrading the database. I'd expect the installer to create a database if it is not there.
Recovery from backups?
On obvious way to recover there server is to restore some backups. However, I struggle to see what file to restore. There are 1807 files at /var/lib/psa/dumps
There appears to be no single "big file, it's all" kind of file.
Notably, there are mysql-backups containing data from the psa database, which does not exist on the mysql-server anymore.
So, how to restore this server? I'm a bit clueless. What might have happened?
Thanks, Jan
I'm struggling to recover a plesk-server that has been running for a while. I have no explanation for this; I don't recall doing relevant configuration changes.
Seemingly this error-state was triggered by configuring nginx to host an additional webpage on the command-line, i.e. creating a new configuration.
However, this is apparently not the cause of the error. From all plausible reasons, a failed upgrade appears to be the most relastic reason. Still, I'm struggling to understand what had happened.
The server is running Debian 12 / Bookworm an Plesk 18.0.
I struggle to describe the actual error, intuitively, I'd describe this error as "plesk is installed only halfway" but this contradict plesk running for years.
Let me try to describe the current state
1. There is no plesk binary on the system - no idea, why.
2. When I lunch the plesk installer, it tries to prepare my system for installation but fails:
Code:
Preparing Your System for Product Installation
===============================================================================
There are 45 packages required for the product to function properly which
were not found in your system.
There are 54 packages that need to be upgraded
in order to install the product.
Available actions:
(F) Go forward
(B) Go back
(Q) Cancel installation
(S) Show the list of packages
Select an action [F/b/q/s]: f
Installing packages
Check the error reason (see log file: /var/log/plesk/install/plesk_18.0.71_installation.log), fix and try again
Check the error reason (see log file: /var/log/plesk/install/plesk_18.0.71_installation.log), fix and try again
awk: cmd. line:1: $1 == "
awk: cmd. line:1: ^ unterminated string
===> Cumulative Plesk database upgrade (revertable stage) has been started.
Looking at /var/log/plesk/install/plesk_18.0.71_installation.log it says:
Code:
**** Product prep-install started.
Create user 'psaadm' and group 'psaadm'
Group 'psaadm' already exists
Checking for the user 'psaadm'...
User 'psaadm' already exists
Create group 'swkey-data'
Group 'swkey-data' already exists
Trying to add supplementary group 'swkey-data' for user 'psaadm'... already there
Create group 'psaserv'
Group 'psaserv' already exists
Trying to add supplementary group 'psaserv' for user 'psaadm'... already there
Create group 'psacln'
Group 'psacln' already exists
Trying to got legacy variables... done
Trying to save legacy variables... done
Checking that /opt/psa/bin/chrootsh registered as login shell...
===> Performing safe prep-install database actions
===> Upgrading database
Trying to start service mariadb... active
done
Trying to establish test connection... connected
done
Trying to find Plesk database psa... not found
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SELECT val FROM misc WHERE param = 'aps_database'
Trying to backup MySQL database... done
MySQL databases are dumped to /var/lib/psa/dumps/mysql.preupgrade.18.0.71-18.0.71.20250804-185433.dump.gz
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SELECT val FROM misc WHERE param = 'aps_database'
===> Cumulative Plesk database upgrade (revertable stage) has been started.
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR 1049 (42000): Unknown database 'psa'
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SHOW TABLES LIKE 'misc'
===> Restoring database from backup /var/lib/psa/dumps/mysql.preupgrade.18.0.71-18.0.71.20250804-185433.dump.gz
**** Product prep-install for BASE failed.
***** problem report *****
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SELECT val FROM misc WHERE param = 'aps_database'
***** problem report *****
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SELECT val FROM misc WHERE param = 'aps_database'
***** problem report *****
ERROR while trying to run the following SQL query: SHOW TABLES LIKE 'misc'
STOP Bootstrapper 18.0.71 prep-install for BASE AT Mon Aug 4 18:54:40 UTC 2025
For me, it makes no sense the installer fails upgrading the database. I'd expect the installer to create a database if it is not there.
Recovery from backups?
On obvious way to recover there server is to restore some backups. However, I struggle to see what file to restore. There are 1807 files at /var/lib/psa/dumps
Code:
root@plesk:/var/lib/psa/dumps# find . | wc -l
1807
There appears to be no single "big file, it's all" kind of file.
Notably, there are mysql-backups containing data from the psa database, which does not exist on the mysql-server anymore.
So, how to restore this server? I'm a bit clueless. What might have happened?
Thanks, Jan