Failed 5.2.x startups after Debian package upgrade

Setup, Configuration and Use Installation
1
  • Platform information:
    • OS: Debian 13.7
    • openHAB version: 5.1.4
    • Java Runtime Environment:
dpkg -l | grep jdk
ii  default-jdk-headless              2:1.21-76                  amd64     Standard Java or Java compatible Development Kit (headless)
ii  openjdk-21-jdk-headless:amd64     21.0.12.1+1-1\~deb13u1     amd64     OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) (headless)
ii  openjdk-21-jre-headless:amd64     21.0.12.1+1-1\~deb13u1     amd64     OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT (headless)

After upgrading my 5.1.4 install to 5.2.0 or 5.2.1, my startups immediately fail with this error:

2026-09-21 11:11:50.175 [SEVERE] [org.apache.karaf.main.Main] - Could not launch framework
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error installing bundle listed in startup.properties with url: mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/org.apache.karaf.features.extension/4.4.8 and startlevel: 1
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.installAndStartBundles(Main.java:613)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.launch(Main.java:308)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.main(Main.java:183)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Could not resolve mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/org.apache.karaf.features.extension/4.4.8
        at org.apache.karaf.main.util.SimpleMavenResolver.resolve(SimpleMavenResolver.java:59)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.installAndStartBundles(Main.java:605)
        ... 2 more

I found that bundle in data/etc/startup.properties and commented it out to see how that would affect my deployment, and got this error right after a restart:

2026-09-21 10:20:29.309 [SEVERE] [org.apache.karaf.main.Main] - Could not launch framework
java.lang.RuntimeException: Error installing bundle listed in startup.properties with url: mvn:org.apache.karaf.services/org.apache.karaf.services.eventadmin/4.4.8 and startlevel: 5
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.installAndStartBundles(Main.java:613)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.launch(Main.java:308)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.main(Main.java:183)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Could not resolve mvn:org.apache.karaf.services/org.apache.karaf.services.eventadmin/4.4.8
        at org.apache.karaf.main.util.SimpleMavenResolver.resolve(SimpleMavenResolver.java:59)
        at org.apache.karaf.main.Main.installAndStartBundles(Main.java:605)
        ... 2 more

Which matches the sequence in data/etc/startup.properties:

# Bundles to be started on startup, with startlevel
mvn\:org.apache.karaf.features/org.apache.karaf.features.extension/4.4.8 = 1
mvn\:org.apache.karaf.services/org.apache.karaf.services.eventadmin/4.4.8 = 5
mvn\:org.ops4j.pax.url/pax-url-aether/2.6.17 = 5
mvn\:org.fusesource.jansi/jansi/2.4.2 = 8
etc...

How can I make those bundles resolvable? The startup.properties definitions were previously working with version 5.1.4. It was only after updating to 5.2.0 or 5.2.1 with apt upgrade that my deployments started to break.

2

Welcome to OH.

Not an expert on this but my OH5.2 uses karaf 4.4.11. I use docker, so the whole package is updated, not sure about apt. Could be stale file or missed with the apt update/apt upgrade. Possible clue in the release notes?

3

yeah that lines up with a stale userdata file. 5.2 bumped karaf, so the mvn urls in data/etc/startup.properties still pointing at 4.4.8 will fail after an apt upgrade.

dont keep commenting them out. restore the package copy of that file (or pull the 4.4.11 lines from a fresh 5.2 install), then restart.

rough check:

dpkg -L openhab | grep startup.properties
diff -u /var/lib/openhab/etc/startup.properties /usr/share/openhab/runtime/etc/startup.properties

if the package one has 4.4.11 and yours still has 4.4.8, copy the package version over (back yours up first), then systemctl restart openhab. also confirm the package actually landed with dpkg -l openhab.

4

Thanks for the welcome, and for both of your input. My install’s startup.properties differed from the defaults in /var/lib/openhab, so I replaced my own with the maintainer’s copy. I found several other definitions pointing to karaf 4.4.8 in these files, which I also overwrote with matching files in /var/lib/openhab:

grep -Frin karaf . | grep '4.4.8'
./profile.cfg:12:repository.mvn\:org.apache.karaf.features/standard/4.4.8/xml/features = mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/standard/4.4.8/xml/features
./profile.cfg:13:repository.mvn\:org.apache.karaf.features/specs/4.4.8/xml/features = mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/specs/4.4.8/xml/features
./profile.cfg:14:repository.mvn\:org.apache.karaf.features/framework/4.4.8/xml/features = mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/framework/4.4.8/xml/features
./distribution.info:24:karafVersion=4.4.8
./version.properties:11:karaf           : 4.4.8
./config.properties:81: org.apache.karaf.version;version="4.4.8",\
./config.properties:82: org.apache.karaf.jaas.boot.principal;uses:=javax.security.auth;version="4.4.8",\
./config.properties:83: org.apache.karaf.jaas.boot;uses:="javax.security.auth,javax.security.auth.callback,javax.security.auth.login,javax.security.auth.spi,org.osgi.framework";version="4.4.8",\
./config.properties:84: org.apache.karaf.info;version="4.4.8",\
./config.properties:95:    org.apache.karaf.jaas.boot;uses:=\"javax.security.auth,javax.security.auth.callback,javax.security.auth.login,javax.security.auth.spi,org.osgi.framework\";version=4.4.8, \
./config.properties:96:    org.apache.karaf.jaas.boot.principal;uses:=javax.security.auth;version=4.4.8, \
./config.properties:97:    org.apache.karaf.diagnostic.core;uses:=org.osgi.framework;version=4.4.8, \
./config.properties:98:    org.apache.karaf.diagnostic.core.common;uses:=org.apache.karaf.diagnostic.core;version=4.4.8
./org.apache.karaf.features.cfg:26:    mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/framework/4.4.8/xml/features, \
./org.apache.karaf.features.cfg:27:    mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/standard/4.4.8/xml/features, \
./org.apache.karaf.features.cfg:28:    mvn:org.apache.karaf.features/specs/4.4.8/xml/features

I got a massive error trace after a restart, shown here in case my next step helps anyone else:

2026-09-21 22:28:20.329 [ERROR] [ternal.service.BootFeaturesInstaller] - Error installing boot features
org.apache.karaf.features.internal.util.MultiException: Error:
        Error downloading mvn:de.focus-shift/jollyday-core/1.5.4
        Error downloading mvn:de.focus-shift/jollyday-jackson/1.5.4
        at org.apache.karaf.features.internal.download.impl.MavenDownloadManager$MavenDownloader.<init>(MavenDownloadManager.java:91)
        at org.apache.karaf.features.internal.download.impl.MavenDownloadManager.createDownloader(MavenDownloadManager.java:72)
...
        Caused by: java.io.IOException: Error resolving artifact de.focus-shift:jollyday-core:jar:1.5.4: [Could not transfer artifact de.focus-shift:jollyday-core:jar:1.5.4 from/to openhab (https://openh
ab.jfrog.io/openhab/libs-release/): status code: 401, reason phrase:  (401)]
                at org.ops4j.pax.url.mvn.internal.AetherBasedResolver.configureIOException(AetherBasedResolver.java:811)
                at org.ops4j.pax.url.mvn.internal.AetherBasedResolver.resolve(AetherBasedResolver.java:559)

...
        Caused by: shaded.org.eclipse.aether.resolution.ArtifactResolutionException: Error resolving artifact de.focus-shift:jollyday-core:jar:1.5.4
...
        Suppressed: java.io.IOException: Error downloading mvn:de.focus-shift/jollyday-jackson/1.5.4
...
                Caused by: shaded.org.apache.http.client.HttpResponseException: status code: 401, reason phrase:  (401)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.transport.http.HttpTransporter.handleStatus(HttpTransporter.java:662)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.transport.http.HttpTransporter.execute(HttpTransporter.java:532)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.transport.http.HttpTransporter.implGet(HttpTransporter.java:479)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.spi.connector.transport.AbstractTransporter.get(AbstractTransporter.java:64)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.connector.basic.BasicRepositoryConnector$GetTaskRunner.runTask(BasicRepositoryConnector.java:484)
                        at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.connector.basic.BasicRepositoryConnector$TaskRunner.run(BasicRepositoryConnector.java:416)
                        ... 18 more
        Caused by: shaded.org.eclipse.aether.resolution.ArtifactResolutionException: Error resolving artifact de.focus-shift:jollyday-jackson:jar:1.5.4
                at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.internal.impl.DefaultArtifactResolver.resolve(DefaultArtifactResolver.java:474)
                at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.internal.impl.DefaultArtifactResolver.resolveArtifacts(DefaultArtifactResolver.java:261)
                at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.internal.impl.DefaultArtifactResolver.resolveArtifact(DefaultArtifactResolver.java:243)
                at shaded.org.eclipse.aether.internal.impl.DefaultRepositorySystem.resolveArtifact(DefaultRepositorySystem.java:278)
                at org.ops4j.pax.url.mvn.internal.AetherBasedResolver.resolve(AetherBasedResolver.java:552)
                ... 11 more

I got past that by clearing my cache with this command:

sudo openhab-cli clean-cache

This command will delete the temporary files within openHAB.
May resolve issues with addon installation and configuration.
The next start of openHAB will take a bit longer.

Okay to Continue? [y/N]: y

My install started successfully after that! :tada: I didn’t even think to check what was provided by the maintainer, given all the successful upgrades I had before this. Both of your insight was a nice reminder of how valuable those default files are. Thanks again for your help. :grin: