See log file to see the problem:
cat /var/log/syslog | tr -d '\0' | grep "Failed to start" -A 10 -B 10
If you see this line below, then we may have solution:
Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket
Ubuntu 16.04.01 LTS is using systemd
Use this command to see your ubuntu version:
lsb_release -a
Zoneminder service described in this file:
/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/zoneminder.service
By default it is remarked:
#Requires=mysql.service
Remove the remark so it waits mysql before starts:
Requires=mysql.service
For Ubuntu 14.04 add sleep command in /etc/init.d/zoneminder after start() line, so it looks like below:
start() {
sleep 15 #wait for mysql
echo -n "Starting $prog: "
Source:
– https://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?t=23630
– https://wiki.zoneminder.com/Ubuntu_Server_14.04_64-bit_with_Zoneminder_1.28.0_the_easy_way