Learn how to resolve the “lxc-attach failed to get init pid“ error. Our LXC/LXD Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

”Lxc-attach failed to get init pid” | Resolved

Have you been having trouble with the “lxc-attach failed to get init pid” error?

Our experts have your back. This error often occurs when the `lxc-attach` command has trouble connecting to a container. This is usually due to issues retrieving the process ID of the init process running in it.

Let’s take a look at the potential causes and solutions of this error.

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Container Not Running

   The most common reason for this error is that the LXC container we are trying to attach to is not running at all.

   We can resolve this by verifying the container’s status using `lxc list`. If it is stopped, simply start it:

   lxc start container_name
2. Init Process Issues

   In some cases, issues with the init process in the container can also trigger this error. Some reasons include a corrupt container image or startup errors that prevent the init process from launching.

   This can be fixed by restarting the container:

   lxc restart container_name

   This will fix temporary issues that affect the init process.

   In case restarting does not work, the cause may be a corrupt image. Then, we need to create a new container from a fresh image or check the original image for potential issues.
3. LXC Version Mismatch

   In older versions of LXC (LXC 1 or earlier), lxc-attach retrieves the init PID. This differs in the newer versions (LXC 2 and later).

   Hence, we have to check the LXC version:

   lxc –version

   If we are using LXC 2 and later, we need to run this command to run commands within containers:

   lxc exec container_name command
4. Permissions Issues

   In some cases, permission issues may prevent `lxc-attach` from accessing the container or fetching init process information.

   We can resolve this by running `lxc-attach` with additional privileges via `sudo`. However, our experts advise caution as this may introduce security risks.

Let us know in the comments if you need further help with this error.

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Conclusion

In brief, our Support Experts demonstrated how to fix the “lxc-attach failed to get init pid” error.