autoupgrade not run when the machine doesn't run all the time

[mz-pdm]

Issue description

I've got the following options set in my configuration.nix:

system.autoUpgrade.enable = true;
system.autoUpgrade.dates = "11:45";

However, autoupgrade is never performed on my desktop computer that is switched on only during the day hours. systemd is not going to run the job the first day after boot:

systemctl list-timers

NEXT LEFT LAST PASSED UNIT ACTIVATES
Thu 2016-05-26 02:15:00 CEST 16h left n/a n/a update-locatedb.timer update-locatedb.service
Thu 2016-05-26 08:47:33 CEST 23h left Wed 2016-05-25 08:47:33 CEST 55min ago systemd-tmpfiles-clean.timer systemd-tmpfiles-clean.service
Thu 2016-05-26 11:45:00 CEST 1 day 2h left n/a n/a nixos-upgrade.timer nixos-upgrade.service

Steps to reproduce

Set the options in configuration.nix as above and check with systemctl when the job is going to be run.

Technical details

• System: 16.03.836.aff03ae (Emu)
• Nix version: nix-env (Nix) 1.11.2
• Nixpkgs version: 16.03.836.aff03ae

[grahamc]

So if the computer is never on during the time set for auto-upgrade, what time is appropriate for auto-upgrade? How do we pick?

[bjornfor]

@grahamc: I think systemd has an option to start a service as soon as possible if it missed the previous timer event due to the machine being powered off.

[mz-pdm]

@grahamc: The computer is on during the set time. Let's say it boots on at 9:00 but the job is not run at 11:45 even when the computer is running since 9:00. As you can see from the systemd output above, systemd apparently doesn't want to run the timer the first day after boot for some mysterious reason. And I shutdown the computer in the evening so the job is never run.

[mz-pdm]

It started to work recently. Now the job is run already the first day after boot.

[tex]

This is happening to me. Laptop. Every time after startup the two timers (upgrade and gc) shows they never run and will run next day...

configuration.nix:

  system.autoUpgrade.enable = true;

milan@nixos> nixos-version                                                                                                            ~
20.09.2382.ca119749d86 (Nightingale)

milan@nixos> systemctl list-timers                                                                                                    ~
NEXT                        LEFT          LAST                        PASSED     UNIT                         ACTIVATES                >
Mon 2020-12-28 13:33:07 CET 14min left    n/a                         n/a        systemd-tmpfiles-clean.timer systemd-tmpfiles-clean.se>
Mon 2020-12-28 14:55:31 CET 1h 36min left Mon 2020-12-21 18:25:44 CET 6 days ago fstrim.timer                 fstrim.service           >
Mon 2020-12-28 19:30:00 CET 6h left       Thu 2020-12-24 19:30:20 CET 3 days ago borg-system-backup.timer     borg-system-backup.servic>
Tue 2020-12-29 03:15:00 CET 13h left      n/a                         n/a        nix-gc.timer                 nix-gc.service           >
Tue 2020-12-29 04:40:00 CET 15h left      n/a                         n/a        nixos-upgrade.timer          nixos-upgrade.service    >

5 timers listed.
Pass --all to see loaded but inactive timers, too.
milan@nixos> date                                                                                                                     ~
Mon 28 Dec 2020 01:23:29 PM CET
milan@nixos>                                                                                                                          ~

[tex]

Basically issue #75861...

[stale]

I marked this as stale due to inactivity. → More info

[bjornfor]

Closing since we have system.autoUpgrade.persistent option since NixOS 22.05 (from #107957).