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Error Messages

Reference for common error messages and their solutions.

Agent Errors​

"Invalid license key"​

Cause: License key in config doesn't match your organization.

Solution:

  1. Get correct key from dashboard: Settings → Account
  2. Update /etc/patchctl/config.json
  3. Restart agent: sudo systemctl restart patchctl

"Connection refused"​

Cause: Cannot connect to API.

Solution:

  1. Check network: curl -I https://api.patchctl.com/health
  2. Verify DNS resolution
  3. Check firewall allows outbound HTTPS

"Certificate verify failed"​

Cause: SSL/TLS certificate validation error.

Solution:

# Update CA certificates
sudo apt install --reinstall ca-certificates  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo update-ca-trust                          # RHEL/Rocky
sudo update-ca-certificates                   # SUSE

If using corporate proxy with SSL inspection, add the corporate CA.

"Machine ID changed"​

Cause: Server appears as new entry after reinstall.

Solution: This is expected behavior. Delete the old server entry from dashboard.

"Rate limited"​

Cause: Too many API requests.

Solution: Wait a few minutes before retrying. If persistent, check heartbeat interval isn't too low.

Dashboard Errors​

"Session expired"​

Cause: Login session timed out.

Solution: Log in again. Sessions expire after inactivity.

"Permission denied"​

Cause: Your role doesn't allow this action.

Solution: Contact organization admin for appropriate role. See Teams & Roles.

"Server not found"​

Cause: Server was deleted or doesn't exist.

Solution: The server may have been removed. Check with team members.

"Schedule conflict"​

Cause: Overlapping schedule times.

Solution: Adjust schedule times to avoid overlap, or combine into single schedule.

Patching Errors​

"Package manager locked"​

Cause: Another process is using the package manager.

Solution:

# Find locking process
sudo lsof /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend  # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo lsof /var/run/dnf.pid             # RHEL/Rocky

# Wait for it to finish, or if stale:
sudo rm /var/lib/dpkg/lock-frontend    # Debian/Ubuntu

"Dependency problems"​

Cause: Package dependencies can't be satisfied.

Solution:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt --fix-broken install

# RHEL/Rocky
sudo dnf distro-sync

"Repository unreachable"​

Cause: Can't connect to package repository.

Solution:

  1. Check network connectivity
  2. Verify repository configuration
  3. Try refreshing: sudo apt update or sudo dnf makecache

"Disk full"​

Cause: Insufficient disk space for updates.

Solution:

# Check space
df -h /

# Clean package cache
sudo apt clean        # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf clean all    # RHEL/Rocky

"Reboot required"​

Cause: Updates require restart to take effect.

Solution: This is informational. Schedule a maintenance window to reboot, or configure schedule with reboot policy.

Billing Errors​

"Node limit exceeded"​

Cause: More servers than your plan allows.

Solution:

  1. Delete inactive servers
  2. Upgrade your plan

"Payment failed"​

Cause: Credit card charge declined.

Solution:

  1. Update payment method in Settings → Billing
  2. Ensure card has sufficient funds
  3. Contact your bank if issues persist