Upgrade Zabbix from 3.4 to 4.0 on Ubuntu 18.04: Fast & Easy

I recently installed Zabbix 3.4 on Ubuntu 18.04 and didn’t realize that version 4.0 LTS was already released. Version 3.4 is not LTS, so it is desirable to have the LTS version in place if you plan to use it well into the future. So I had to upgrade Zabbix from 3.4 to 4.0, first, I thought it was going to be a lengthy process, but in fact, it is really easy. I will show you how.

I will only cover the upgrade process here, but be aware that I do not include the Database Backup Process. Make absolutely sure that you have either a complete Snapshot of your Server or a complete backup of your Database in place before upgrading!

Step 1 - Backing up your Database

As I mentioned above, I am not going to cover that here, to back up your Database, follow the official Documentation.

Step 2 - Backing up your Config / PHP and Binary files

Next, we are going to back up our Config / PHP  and Binary files, just to make sure.

Configuration Files

mkdir /opt/zabbix-backup/
sudo cp /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf /opt/zabbix-backup/
sudo cp /etc/apache2/conf-enabled/zabbix.conf /opt/zabbix-backup/

PHP and Binary Files

sudo cp -R /usr/share/zabbix/ /opt/zabbix-backup/
sudo cp -R /usr/share/doc/zabbix-* /opt/zabbix-backup/

Step 3 - Stopping the Zabbix Services

To Upgrade Zabbix from 3.4 to 4.0, we first need to stop all its services. So log in to your Zabbix Server and run:

sudo service zabbix-server stop
sudo service zabbix-agent stop
sudo service zabbix-proxy stop

Step 4 - Removing the current Repository Package

Next, we need to remove the old Zabbix Repository Package.

sudo rm -Rf /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zabbix.list

Step 5 - Installing the new Repository Configuration Package

And now we install the new one.

sudo wget https://repo.zabbix.com/zabbix/4.0/ubuntu/pool/main/z/zabbix-release/zabbix-release_4.0-1+bionic_all.deb
sudo dpkg -i zabbix-release_4.0-1+bionic_all.deb

After running the dpkg -i command, make sure you answer the question if you want to use the new version of the zabbix.list with YES.

When you are done with this, run an update to pull the new versions.

sudo apt-get update

Step 6 - Upgrade Zabbix from 3.4 to 4.0

Time to run the final upgrade.

sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade zabbix-server-mysql zabbix-frontend-php zabbix-agent

Make sure that you select NO to the question if you want to update the zabbix_server.conf file! If you choose Yes here, you need to enter your Database information again. In case you choose Yes out of a mistake, the updater automatically creates a backup of your old config, in /etc/zabbix/zabbix_server.conf.dpkg or something like this.

Step 7 - Starting Zabbix Services

And finally, we are going to start our services again. Depending on the size of your Database, it can take a while until it’s updated. Make sure to wait for a while if something is not working.

sudo service zabbix-server start
sudo service zabbix-agent start
sudo service zabbix-proxy start

Upgrading between minor Zabbix versions

If you want to upgrade between minor versions, let’s say from version 4.0.1 to 4.0.3, it is significantly easier.

Upgrade Zabbix Minor Version

sudo apt install --only-upgrade 'zabbix.*'

Upgrade Zabbix Server Minor Version

sudo apt install --only-upgrade 'zabbix-server.*'

Upgrade Zabbix Agent Minor Version

sudo apt install --only-upgrade 'zabbix-agent.*'

Wrapping Up

As you can see, it’s really easy to Upgrade Zabbix from 3.4 to 4.0. If you have followed each step carefully, you should be on the newest version in no time. Make sure to check out my YouTube channel, there are plenty of Zabbix and Monitoring Tutorials as well.

whoami

Stefan

Stefan founded Ceos3c in 2016 and has spent a decade teaching cybersecurity, Linux, and web development through hands-on tutorials. He builds and ships real products while sharing his journey: ProofSwap.me, XPMetric.com, and EasyEarningsTracker.com. Find him on YouTube (youtube.com/stefanrows) and X (@StefanRows).

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