Pi-hole update caused web to stop and no resolution

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1

Please follow the below template, it will help us to help you!

Expected Behaviour:

expecting web interface to work...and for clients to resolve addresses

Actual Behaviour:

403 Forbidden for admin interface. timeouts for clients

Debug Token:

https://tricorder.pi-hole.net/DIbxtyN4/

I tried to update using sudo pihole -up today because the web interface said, updates!

at the end of the update it said waiting for dns resolution. it sat there and never resolved.

clients stopped resolving and web interface died.

I ran sudo pihole -r and retained existing config- same result
I ran sudo pihole -r and started clean config- same result.
All OS updates applied, many reboots done.

sudo pihole status shows:
[â] FTL is listening on port 53
[â] UDP (IPv4)
[â] TCP (IPv4)
[â] UDP (IPv6)
[â] TCP (IPv6)

[â] Pi-hole blocking is enabled

I'm hoping someone can spot the problem with the debug log. i can't see any issues in it.

I recently saw the v6 was release and this update likely put me on v6.
I did the update as normal - sudo pihole -up. no questions were asked regarding lighttpd, so i had no option to disable it.

1 Like
3

If you updated to Pi-Hole v6, there may have been a prompt asking you to disable lighttpd. I didn't see it when I updated. Here's the command to check if it is running:

sudo systemctl status lighttpd.service

If it is running (and you don't need it for anything else), use these commands to disable it:

sudo systemctl stop lighttpd.service
sudo systemctl disable lighttpd.service

Next, you may need to edit /etc/pihole/pihole.toml file and set the webserver port value to below:

port = "80o,443os" ### CHANGED, default = "80o,[::]:80o,443so,[::]:443so"

Then, reboot. Following these exact steps, I was able to get back into the web admin interface and set the DNS servers back to their original values. For some reason, updating to v6 wipes out your existing DNS settings.

4 Likes
4

Thanks, I did that and same thing. no web ui and no resolution.

5

hang on....the web ui just showed up after sitting blank for a few minutes

6

thank you!!! it even retained my config.

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No worries! I had to cobble that solution together from a Reddit post and the forums here. I figured having all the steps in one spot would help someone.

1 Like
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I have resolved as well thanks to that modification on toml file!

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For posterity (even though the problem is solved) and to aid future readers of this thread, you had lighttpd running on port 80 and this was preventing the FTL web server from running on that port. This is what you fixed.

[✗] tcp:0.0.0.0:80 is in use by lighttpd (https://docs.pi-hole.net/main/prerequisites/#ports)
[✗] tcp:[::]:80 is in use by lighttpd (https://docs.pi-hole.net/main/prerequisites/#ports)

-rw-r----- 1 pihole pihole 1.8K Feb 21 11:29 /var/log/pihole/webserver.log
   -----head of webserver.log------
   [2025-02-21 10:47:31.174 EST 753699] Initializing HTTP server on ports "80o,443os,[::]:80o,[::]:443os"
   [2025-02-21 10:47:31.194 EST 753699] cannot bind to 80o: 98 (Address in use)
   [2025-02-21 10:47:31.194 EST 753699] cannot bind to IPv6 [::]:80o: 98 (Address in use)

The web interface should have been available on port 443 via the https URL.

2 Likes
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Hello, how would I know if this edit is required? I did the previous two commands in disabling lighttpd.service.

I'm not sure if I need to change the port? Thank you.

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You only need to change the port if you can't currently access the admin console at http://IPADDRESS/admin/login or http://pi.hole/admin, or if you're not okay with accessing it at port 443.

1 Like
12

Please PIN THIS.

Like many, I am so used to clicking update without it changing anything dramatically. Sod's law the one time I didn't read up on the changes I get nailed. Without an up to date backup. :flushed:

This update cut me off. Using my phone I had to poke around and find this solution. I am back online. THANK YOU IN THIS THREAD. :heart_eyes:

I run a DietPI OS. Just a few things on it. But after this update no DNS, no web page access, my home cut off. I needed to run @rambro1stbud's solution to kill the old web server and then hit a reboot. I use Linux so rarely that I had to look up the command "reboot". :grin:

BEFORE REBOOT - scroll back and WARNING to anyone else. Read the notes on update screen carefully as there is a new password on there for the webpage. (eeek!)

After logging into my new webpage with the new password I found I had to go to DNS setting and reselect the DNS I use further up the line.

PLEASE someone thing of putting a stall point in the update script to shout ARE YOU SURE? Have you read the forum?

Some of us are so used to how well this system works we don't know all the details.

THANK YOU ALL for the answers in here. I now will work out what else has changed that needs fixing.

2 Likes
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LOL! DUDE :grin: :+1:

Upgrade your Linux skillZ and you won't have those issues anymore! :wink:

1 Like
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I upgrade my Linux skillz as demand requires. Thanks to days like this I learn more and more.

I also know where Wisdom exists and come here first. Thank you O Wise Ones :partying_face:

I also take lots of notes of my old setups.

One oddity I see of this update is it lost my "conditional forwarding" settings. I feed things through to my router due to "reasons". So it wasn't that I had lost the link to an external DNS, it is that it lost the conditional forwarding. Which now is a little geekier to setup but EXCELLENT details on the web pages make it easy to convert my old notes to the new layout.

The biggest problem with Linux is it works TOO WELL. If it broke more often then I'd be on the command line more often. If it broke every week then I'd be a whizz. :joy:

P.S. Sure this is running faster than before... but maybe just the relief in getting it all back on line so quick. :grin:

1 Like
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To add another note. NOTHING in the install text gives any hint that lighttpd is the issue. Only this thread lets us know why our systems failed.

I just scrolled back through all the install text put up on my screen when updating on DietPI and no hint this was likely to happen. If a block of text had screamed - "turn off lighttpd" it would have helped. Even better if it had quoted a thread like this with the howto.

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Introducing Pi-hole v6 – Pi-hole :wink:

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This was supposed to happen. We still can't work out why it didn't happen for everyone. All 5 Pi-hole's I updated displayed it - but we have seen even a report from a user who effectively updated the same Pi-hole twice (one was a clone of the other), and it did not fire on both of them

1 Like
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I have a pretty simple (and old but up to date) DietPI setup which this happened on. I can't work out how to copy from the install text due to logging in via an odd route.

This is just sod's law. Friday evening, just thought I'd do a quick update, and a rare occasion I didn't read the forum first. So used to it "just working..."

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@PromoFaux In case this helps, this is what I actually saw (passwords and machine name changed)

     
root@my-pi:~# pihole -up                                                                                                                                  
  [✓] Update local cache of available packages                                                                                                             
  [i] Existing PHP installation detected : PHP version 7.4.33                                                                                              
  [✓] Checking for git                                                       
  [✓] Checking for iproute2                                                  
  [✓] Checking for dialog                                                    
  [✓] Checking for ca-certificates                                           

  [i] Checking for updates...                                                
  [i] Pi-hole Core:     update available                                                                                                                   
  [i] Web Interface:    update available                                                                                                                   
  [i] FTL:              update available                                                                                                                   

  [i] Pi-hole core files out of date, updating local repo.                                                                                                 
  [✓] Check for existing repository in /etc/.pihole                                                                                                        
  [i] Update repo in /etc/.pihole...HEAD is now at 0e6d9e74 Pi-hole Core v6.0.2 (#5939)                                                                    
  [✓] Update repo in /etc/.pihole                                            

  [i] If you had made any changes in '/etc/.pihole/', they have been stashed using 'git stash'                                                             

  [i] Pi-hole Web Admin files out of date, updating local repo.                                                                                            
  [✓] Check for existing repository in /var/www/html/admin                                                                                                 
  [i] Update repo in /var/www/html/admin...HEAD is now at 42e7279 Pi-hole web v6.0.1 (#3234)                                                               
  [✓] Update repo in /var/www/html/admin                                                                                                                   

  [i] If you had made any changes in '/var/www/html/admin/', they have been stashed using 'git stash'                                                      

  [i] FTL out of date, it will be updated by the installer.                                                                                                

  [✓] Root user check                                                        

        .;;,.                                                                
        .ccccc:,.                                                            
         :cccclll:.      ..,,                                                
          :ccccclll.   ;ooodc                                                
           'ccll:;ll .oooodc                                                 
             .;cll.;;looo:.                                                  
                 .. ','.                                                     
                .',,,,,,'.                                                   
              .',,,,,,,,,,.                                                  
            .',,,,,,,,,,,,....                                               
          ....''',,,,,,,'.......                                             
        .........  ....  .........                                           
        ..........      ..........                                           
        ..........      ..........                                           
        .........  ....  .........                                           
          ........,,,,,,,'......                                             
            ....',,,,,,,,,,,,.                                               
               .',,,,,,,,,'.                                                 
                .',,,,,,'.                                                   
                  ..'''.                                                     


  [i] SELinux not detected                                                   
  [✓] Update local cache of available packages                                                                                                             

  [✓] Checking apt-get for upgraded packages... up to date!                                                                                                

  [✓] Building dependency package pihole-meta.deb                                                                                                          
  [✓] Installing Pi-hole dependency package                                                                                                                

  [✓] Supported OS detected                                                  
  [i] Performing unattended setup, no dialogs will be displayed                                                                                            
  [i] Performing reconfiguration, skipping download of local repos                                                                                         
  [✓] Resetting repository within /etc/.pihole...                                                                                                          
  [✓] Resetting repository within /var/www/html/admin...                                                                                                   
  [✓] Checking for user 'pihole'                                             

  [i] FTL Checks...                                                          

  [✓] Detected ARMv6 architecture                                            
  [✓] Downloading and Installing FTL                                         
  [✓] Installing scripts from /etc/.pihole                                                                                                                 

  [i] Installing configs from /etc/.pihole...                                                                                                              

  [✓] Installing latest Cron script                                          

  [i] Installing latest logrotate script...                                                                                                                
        [i] webserver.log added to logrotate file.                                                                                                         
  [✓] Installing latest logrotate script                                                                                                                   
  [i] man not installed                                                      
  [✓] New password set                                                       
  [i] Testing if systemd-resolved is enabled                                                                                                               
  [i] Systemd-resolved is not enabled                                        
  [i] Upgrading gravity database from version 15 to 16                                                                                                     
  [i] Upgrading gravity database from version 16 to 17                                                                                                     
  [i] Upgrading gravity database from version 17 to 18                                                                                                     
  [i] Upgrading gravity database from version 18 to 19                                                                                                     
  [i] Restarting services...                                                 
  [✓] Enabling pihole-FTL service to start on reboot...                                                                                                    
  [✓] Restarting pihole-FTL service...                                       
  [✓] Migrating the list's cache directory to new location                                                                                                 
  [✓] Deleting existing list cache                                           
  [✓] DNS resolution is available                                            

  [i] Neutrino emissions detected...                                         

  [✓] Preparing new gravity database                                         
  [✓] Creating new gravity databases                                         
  [✓] Pulling blocklist source list into range                                                                                                             
  [i] Using libz compression                                                 

  [i] Target: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts                                                                             
  [✓] Status: Retrieval successful                                                                                                                         
  [i] List has been updated                                                                                                                                
  [✓] Parsed 127105 exact domains and 0 ABP-style domains (blocking, ignored 0 non-domain entries)                                                         

  [i] Target: http://sysctl.org/cameleon/hosts                                                                                                             
  [✓] Status: No changes detected                                            
  [✓] Parsed 20561 exact domains and 0 ABP-style domains (blocking, ignored 0 non-domain entries)                                                          

  [i] Target: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lists.disconnect.me/simple_tracking.txt                                                                             
  [✓] Status: No changes detected                                            
  [✓] Parsed 34 exact domains and 0 ABP-style domains (blocking, ignored 0 non-domain entries)                                                             

  [i] Target: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lists.disconnect.me/simple_ad.txt                                                                                   
  [✓] Status: No changes detected                                            
  [✓] Parsed 2701 exact domains and 0 ABP-style domains (blocking, ignored 0 non-domain entries)                                                           

  [i] Target: https://github.com/Perflyst/PiHoleBlocklist/blob/79220cfbfb34ac8401d16830f84264afe4b6a573/SmartTV.txt
  [✓] Status: Retrieval successful                                           
  [i] List has been updated                                                  
  [✓] Parsed 11 exact domains and 0 ABP-style domains (blocking, ignored 1603 non-domain entries)                                                          
      Sample of non-domain entries:                                          
        - <                                                                  
        - lang="en"                                                          
        - data-dark-theme="dark"                                             
        - data-a11y-link-underlines="true"                                                                                                                 
        - >                                                                  

  [✓] Building tree                                                          
  [i] Number of gravity domains: 150412 (139281 unique domains)                                                                                            
  [i] Number of exact denied domains: 2                                                                                                                    
  [i] Number of regex denied filters: 2                                                                                                                    
  [i] Number of exact allowed domains: 0                                                                                                                   
  [i] Number of regex allowed filters: 1                                                                                                                   
  [✓] Optimizing database                                                    
  [✓] Swapping databases                                                     
  [✓] The old database remains available                                                                                                                   
  [✓] Cleaning up stray matter                                               

  [✓] Done.                                                                  
  [i] Web Interface password: xxxxxxxx                                       
  [i] This can be changed using 'pihole setpassword'                                                                                                       


  [i] The install log is located at: /etc/pihole/install.log                                                                                               
  [✓] Update complete!                                                       

Core version is v6.0.3 (Latest: v6.0.3)                                                                                                                    
Web version is v6.0.1 (Latest: v6.0.1)                                       
FTL version is v6.0.1 (Latest: v6.0.1)                                       
root@my-pi:~# ls

Note I am logged in via a DietPI. I generally keep up to date with all updates of PiHole.

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