Re: "socket in use" error after installing official clamav package

On Sun, 7 Dec 2025, Alex via clamav-users wrote:

> Problem:
> When clamav-daemon.service runs, it always encounters the error "LOCAL: Socket file /run/clamav/clamd.ctl is in use by another process." Then it immediately restarts, and fails again after the signatures have been loaded.
>
> Background:
> I needed to upgrade clamav to 1.4.3 using the official deb package from https://www.clamav.net/downloads
>
> I made sure I uninstalled the old clamav v0.103 from my distro (Ubuntu 20.04).
> I installed the clamav 1.4.3 .deb package and migrated clamd.conf and freshclam.conf
> I've done some other stuff that I can't quite recall, like fixing the path to the databases that the services point to.
>
> I have found two sockets, and I thin one is from my distro's old installation.
> /var/run/clamav/clamd.ctl
>
> /run/clamav/clamd.ctl


On recent Ubuntu (and presumably Debian)
/var/run is a symlink to /var


> Since then I have updated clamd.conf to use LocalSocket /run/clamav/clamd.ctl instead of the one under /var
> But strangely, every time I start clamav-daemon.socket it creates both socket files. They both have the same inode.
>
> Is there any way I can resolve this socket conflict?
> Where is the 2nd socket file coming from?

-- 
Andrew C. Aitchison                      Kendal, UK
                    [email protected]
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