Error starting seafile after 11.0.12 > 12.0.14 upgrade

Seafile Server
1

I followed the doc and upgrade_11.0_12.0.sh ran without error. I created the conf/.env file with a random password and other variables for my environment. While trying to start the seafile service I get errors:

service seafile start

Job for seafile.service failed because the control process exited with error code.
See “systemctl status seafile.service” and “journalctl -xeu seafile.service” for details.

and this:

Jun 16 11:30:01 ldc01-stor-fs-01 systemd[1]: Starting seafile.service - Seafile…
Subject: A start job for unit seafile.service has begun execution
Defined-By: systemd
Support: Debian -- User Support

A start job for unit seafile.service has begun execution.

The job identifier is 542.
Jun 16 11:30:01 ldc01-stor-fs-01 bash[2172]: /opt/seafile/seafile-server-latest/seafile.sh start
Jun 16 11:30:01 ldc01-stor-fs-01 bash[2174]: Cannot find JWT_PRIVATE_KEY value from environment, try to read .env file.
Jun 16 11:30:01 ldc01-stor-fs-01 bash[2174]: Starting seafile server, please wait …
Jun 16 11:30:04 ldc01-stor-fs-01 bash[2174]: Failed to start seafile server
Jun 16 11:30:04 ldc01-stor-fs-01 systemd[1]: seafile.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Subject: Unit process exited
Defined-By: systemd
Support: Debian -- User Support

An ExecStart= process belonging to unit seafile.service has exited.

The process’ exit code is ‘exited’ and its exit status is 1.
Jun 16 11:30:04 ldc01-stor-fs-01 systemd[1]: seafile.service: Failed with result ‘exit-code’.
Subject: Unit failed
Defined-By: systemd
Support: Debian -- User Support

The unit seafile.service has entered the ‘failed’ state with result ‘exit-code’.
Jun 16 11:30:04 ldc01-stor-fs-01 systemd[1]: Failed to start seafile.service - Seafile.
Subject: A start job for unit seafile.service has failed
Defined-By: systemd
Support: Debian -- User Support

A start job for unit seafile.service has finished with a failure.

The job identifier is 542 and the job result is failed.

I’ve searched the error and didn’t find anything to get me going. What are my next steps for troubleshooting?

2

Did you set the JWT_PRIVATE_KEY as described in Setup community edition - Seafile Admin Manual ?

JWT_PRIVATE_KEY, A random string with a length of no less than 32 characters is required for Seafile, which can be generated by using pwgen -s 40 1

3

I’m not familiar with that document as I’m not using docker. When I created the conf/.env file per the upgrade instructions I generated a random string of more than 32 characters and pasted it into that file for JWT_PRIVATE_KEY=

The error suggests that Seafile isn’t happy with it, but I’m not sure why.

4

The message Cannot find JWT_PRIVATE_KEY value from environment, try to read .env file. is actually a normal informational message. It simply means the script didn’t find the key in your system’s global environment variables and is proceeding to look for it inside your conf/.env file.

The “Failed to start seafile server” message usually means seaf-server encountered an error shortly after starting. For version 12.0 binary installations, please check the following:

  1. Mandatory Variables: Starting with version 12.0, the conf/.env file must contain more than just the JWT key. It also needs your database connection details and server configuration. Ensure your conf/.env includes:

    • JWT_PRIVATE_KEY (which you’ve already done)
    • SEAFILE_MYSQL_DB_HOST and related configurations
    • SEAFILE_SERVER_HOSTNAME
    • SEAFILE_SERVER_PROTOCOL (http or https)

  2. Special Characters: If your random string contains special characters like # or spaces, make sure the value is enclosed in quotes, or try a simpler alphanumeric string for testing.

  3. Check Logs: The specific reason for the failure will be recorded in your logs. Please check logs/seafile.log (and logs/controller.log) for any error messages that appear at the exact time you attempt to start the service.

You can find more information for env file at: Installation - Seafile Admin Manual