# Ubuntu unattended security upgrades

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/ubuntu-unattended-security-upgrades/62049
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [May 3, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ubuntu-unattended-security-upgrades/62049 "2017-05-03T15:56:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![precessor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/precessor/32/120664_2.png) [@precessor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/precessor)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ubuntu-unattended-security-upgrades/62049/1 "2017-05-03T15:56:56Z")

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I just did a `do-release-upgrade` of the OS from Ubuntu 14.04 to Ubuntu 16.04 ([instructions](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-it-safe-to-upgrade-ubuntu-from-14-04-to-16-04-1-via-do-release-upgrade-and-how-to/52274/9)).  
Seems to have gone well.  
Per the Discourse [installation](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/docs/INSTALL-cloud.md) instructions I then performed `dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades` so that security updates are applied automatically.  
I got this -

![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/d/b/db506e734ccfd23fe7f798c38a1b80ede4eb5806.png)

Can I assume the command worked, and this warning requires no action?

I also have this message when I do an `apt-get update`:

 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/7/c/7c68dafef2e26d5362cb7c7d35ebc4c26218ecf3.png)

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![precessor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/precessor/32/120664_2.png) [@precessor](https://meta.discourse.org/u/precessor)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ubuntu-unattended-security-upgrades/62049/2 "2017-05-03T16:16:50Z")

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So it [seems](https://askubuntu.com/questions/829370/n-ignoring-file-50unattended-upgrades-ucf-dist-in-directory-etc-apt-apt-con) it is a backup file, since a new 50unattended-upgrades is present.  
A `diff` of them shows  
 ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/3X/e/b/eb51452765d8d499d62a791d364f0b5e3ab177ef.png)

That is to say, the Ubuntu 14 version had  
`"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}";`  
as well as  
`"${distro_id}:${distro_codename}-security";`  
which is in the old and the new file.

So I deleted the backup/old file for now.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![fefrei](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/fefrei/32/119538_2.png) [@fefrei](https://meta.discourse.org/u/fefrei)
#### Post date: [May 3, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/ubuntu-unattended-security-upgrades/62049/3 "2017-05-03T18:36:17Z")

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I’ve seen these before and updates have been running fine – so hang on and wish for the best 🙂

If anything goes wrong, run `sudo unattended-upgrade --debug --dry-run` to watch what `unattended-upgrade` is thinking 😉