500 server error status when attempting to update email address for certificate

Please fill out the fields below so we can help you better. Note: you must provide your domain name to get help. Domain names for issued certificates are all made public in Certificate Transparency logs (e.g. https://crt.sh/?q=example.com), so withholding your domain name here does not increase secrecy, but only makes it harder for us to provide help.

My domains are:
www.civitas.cc and civitas.cc

I ran this command:

certbot register -d civitas.cc -d www.civitas.cc --update-registration --email mynewemail@somedomain

“mynewemail@somedomain” is a placeholder for the actual email address, which is a valid email address but redacted from this log to prevent spamming.

It produced this output (Incidentally, I receive the same result when I attempt to run this command without specific domains):

An unexpected error occurred:
The server experienced an internal error :: Unable to update registration
Please see the logfiles in /var/log/letsencrypt for more details.

/var/log/letsencrypt contained the following output:

2017-09-23 16:52:25,011:DEBUG:certbot.main:certbot version: 0.17.0
2017-09-23 16:52:25,012:DEBUG:certbot.main:Arguments: ['-d', 'civitas.cc', '-d', 'www.civitas.cc', '-d',  '--update-registration', '--email', 'mynewemail@somedomain']
2017-09-23 16:52:25,012:DEBUG:certbot.main:Discovered plugins: PluginsRegistry(PluginEntryPoint#manual,PluginEntryPoi
nt#null,PluginEntryPoint#standalone,PluginEntryPoint#webroot)
2017-09-23 16:52:25,058:DEBUG:certbot.log:Root logging level set at 20
2017-09-23 16:52:25,060:INFO:certbot.log:Saving debug log to /var/log/letsencrypt/letsencrypt.log
2017-09-23 16:52:25,076:DEBUG:acme.client:Sending GET request to https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/directory.
2017-09-23 16:52:25,087:DEBUG:requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool:Starting new HTTPS connection (1): acme-v01.ap
i.letsencrypt.org
2017-09-23 16:52:25,405:DEBUG:requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool:https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org:443 "GET 
/directory HTTP/1.1" 200 561
2017-09-23 16:52:25,407:DEBUG:acme.client:Received response:
HTTP 200
Server: nginx
Content-Type: application/json
Content-Length: 561
Replay-Nonce: LyMt7K-LgffhUL-rFqAz-eOMMtHCr_eVMDamQF8PF_w
X-Frame-Options: DENY
Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=604800
Expires: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Cache-Control: max-age=0, no-cache, no-store
Pragma: no-cache
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Connection: keep-alive

{
  "I2HoDKyH8F4": "https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/adding-random-entries-to-the-directory/33417",
  "key-change": "https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/key-change",
  "meta": {
    "terms-of-service": "https://letsencrypt.org/documents/LE-SA-v1.1.1-August-1-2016.pdf"
  },
  "new-authz": "https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/new-authz",
  "new-cert": "https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/new-cert",
  "new-reg": "https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/new-reg",
  "revoke-cert": "https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/revoke-cert"
}
2017-09-23 16:52:25,408:DEBUG:acme.client:Requesting fresh nonce
2017-09-23 16:52:25,409:DEBUG:acme.client:Sending HEAD request to https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/reg/92735
91.
2017-09-23 16:52:25,499:DEBUG:requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool:https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org:443 "HEAD
 /acme/reg/9273591 HTTP/1.1" 405 0
2017-09-23 16:52:25,501:DEBUG:acme.client:Received response:
HTTP 405
Server: nginx
Content-Type: application/problem+json
Content-Length: 91
Allow: POST
Replay-Nonce: yRurfihnOS8zZRz057xo2V1ohKPBQ3wcO8A6_vyEq3Q
Expires: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Cache-Control: max-age=0, no-cache, no-store
Pragma: no-cache
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Connection: keep-alive


2017-09-23 16:52:25,502:DEBUG:acme.client:Storing nonce: yRurfihnOS8zZRz057xo2V1ohKPBQ3wcO8A6_vyEq3Q
2017-09-23 16:52:25,503:DEBUG:acme.client:JWS payload:
{
  "contact": [
    "mailto:mynewemail@somedomain"
  ], 
  "resource": "reg", 
  "agreement": "https://letsencrypt.org/documents/LE-SA-v1.1.1-August-1-2016.pdf", 
  "key": {
    "e": "AQAB", 
    "kty": "RSA", 
    "n": "yoORrO4cE8S01WcdvdJoSQz6NdQRUKkLX6VUYjlfGHVRhOFEOQcIDWZ6KnKjbcwdEZJXAjir2jkONzqs5QhNU7trM6D7_DqDwoJU85Qo9I9
n__luSRTifEx_LooNKS-pT8THT7on_CGVQ4nNzkwQPcZYhn4RM4rCyLcIMbQ4mDKpKGUuwDTaSpd7HMAWnFllJR7Z0AWPZ8uzQbh7ZnqXF2qUPKlUEQsA
CXKicBWim3qSfrYjlp7sxBlB6Fd-UDcIBqTJ3fFn82bHCSAd3yXCYJ1gk7eiaQ1COvs5xf33xjnT6I56DjGB6KNxaZSNff8x8VeFZhD4AvWKbj-W2PEqZ
w"
  }
}
2017-09-23 16:52:25,523:DEBUG:acme.client:Sending POST request to https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/reg/92735
91:
{
  "protected": "eyJub25jZSI6ICJ5UnVyZmlobk9TOHpaUnowNTd4bzJWMW9oS1BCUTN3Y084QTZfdnlFcTNRIiwgImFsZyI6ICJSUzI1NiIsICJqd
2siOiB7ImUiOiAiQVFBQiIsICJrdHkiOiAiUlNBIiwgIm4iOiAieW9PUnJPNGNFOFMwMVdjZHZkSm9TUXo2TmRRUlVLa0xYNlZVWWpsZkdIVlJoT0ZFT1
FjSURXWjZLbktqYmN3ZEVaSlhBamlyMmprT056cXM1UWhOVTd0ck02RDdfRHFEd29KVTg1UW85STluX19sdVNSVGlmRXhfTG9vTktTLXBUOFRIVDdvbl9
DR1ZRNG5Oemt3UVBjWllobjRSTTRyQ3lMY0lNYlE0bURLcEtHVXV3RFRhU3BkN0hNQVduRmxsSlI3WjBBV1BaOHV6UWJoN1pucVhGMnFVUEtsVUVRc0FD
WEtpY0JXaW0zcVNmcllqbHA3c3hCbEI2RmQtVURjSUJxVEozZkZuODJiSENTQWQzeVhDWUoxZ2s3ZWlhUTFDT3ZzNXhmMzN4am5UNkk1NkRqR0I2S054Y
VpTTmZmOHg4VmVGWmhENEF2V0tiai1XMlBFcVp3In19", 
  "payload": "ewogICJjb250YWN0IjogWwogICAgIm1haWx0bzphei5zYW5kaGF3a0BnbWFpbC5jb20iCiAgXSwgCiAgInJlc291cmNlIjogInJlZyI
sIAogICJhZ3JlZW1lbnQiOiAiaHR0cHM6Ly9sZXRzZW5jcnlwdC5vcmcvZG9jdW1lbnRzL0xFLVNBLXYxLjEuMS1BdWd1c3QtMS0yMDE2LnBkZiIsIAog
ICJrZXkiOiB7CiAgICAiZSI6ICJBUUFCIiwgCiAgICAia3R5IjogIlJTQSIsIAogICAgIm4iOiAieW9PUnJPNGNFOFMwMVdjZHZkSm9TUXo2TmRRUlVLa
0xYNlZVWWpsZkdIVlJoT0ZFT1FjSURXWjZLbktqYmN3ZEVaSlhBamlyMmprT056cXM1UWhOVTd0ck02RDdfRHFEd29KVTg1UW85STluX19sdVNSVGlmRX
hfTG9vTktTLXBUOFRIVDdvbl9DR1ZRNG5Oemt3UVBjWllobjRSTTRyQ3lMY0lNYlE0bURLcEtHVXV3RFRhU3BkN0hNQVduRmxsSlI3WjBBV1BaOHV6UWJ
oN1pucVhGMnFVUEtsVUVRc0FDWEtpY0JXaW0zcVNmcllqbHA3c3hCbEI2RmQtVURjSUJxVEozZkZuODJiSENTQWQzeVhDWUoxZ2s3ZWlhUTFDT3ZzNXhm
MzN4am5UNkk1NkRqR0I2S054YVpTTmZmOHg4VmVGWmhENEF2V0tiai1XMlBFcVp3IgogIH0KfQ", 
  "signature": "ZZJLFZnm6WMgjcd-pwnXEQBy1dccCo8RdKTjOqLextgKxB5prYKYazxMtOCDaqWruiIKJJir1T7BGrFT9GgTuKXrHiwYmEAOyqVd4
52pbj2e1M1uBBMeWq71pekDpBAMq3XuG_SOfTR4DxyYhwiDeYOipJuqUjXZC4gWfyF6kQPmiBeAITmDDW-qSZTDcxugzjbQEXE3BraKeTkKBUCKSW5eSk
nDi2YdmLlNdzdW4QIKYVr16Z_562bcy_-rKfjrDqfGVqy8pCvwM7qpXHkHCTyWhvC3fzeYsCLsp7emWdv7FasV4JPVQrecr7GJzUn0nPPcvdP1VlVjvUa
vhzpVUA"
}
2017-09-23 16:52:25,632:DEBUG:requests.packages.urllib3.connectionpool:https://acme-v01.api.letsencrypt.org:443 "POST
 /acme/reg/9273591 HTTP/1.1" 500 107
2017-09-23 16:52:25,634:DEBUG:acme.client:Received response:
HTTP 500
Server: nginx
Content-Type: application/problem+json
Content-Length: 107
Boulder-Requester: 9273591
Replay-Nonce: r-n7m133LfOhyU6KCBFu-biP-_miCVY1vqB85abwZW0
Expires: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Cache-Control: max-age=0, no-cache, no-store
Pragma: no-cache
Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2017 16:52:25 GMT
Connection: close

{
  "type": "urn:acme:error:serverInternal",
  "detail": "Unable to update registration",
  "status": 500
}
2017-09-23 16:52:25,634:DEBUG:acme.client:Storing nonce: r-n7m133LfOhyU6KCBFu-biP-_miCVY1vqB85abwZW0
2017-09-23 16:52:25,635:DEBUG:certbot.log:Exiting abnormally:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/certbot", line 11, in <module>
    load_entry_point('certbot==0.17.0', 'console_scripts', 'certbot')()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/main.py", line 753, in main
    return config.func(config, plugins)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/certbot/main.py", line 466, in register
    body=acc.regr.body.update(contact=('mailto:' + config.email,))))
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/acme/client.py", line 131, in update_registration
    updated_regr = self._send_recv_regr(regr, body=body)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/acme/client.py", line 106, in _send_recv_regr
    response = self.net.post(regr.uri, body)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/acme/client.py", line 682, in post
    return self._post_once(*args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/acme/client.py", line 695, in _post_once
    return self._check_response(response, content_type=content_type)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/acme/client.py", line 582, in _check_response
    raise messages.Error.from_json(jobj)
Error: urn:acme:error:serverInternal :: The server experienced an internal error :: Unable to update registration

My web server is (include version):

Not relevant.

The operating system I ran this command on is (include version):

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

My hosting provider, if applicable, is:

Not relevant.

I can login to a root shell on my machine (yes or no, or I don’t know):

Yes

Thank you for any assistance or information you can provide to help me successfully update my email address for this (and other) certificates.

.

Unfortunately, there's a bug in the system for updating accounts (registrations).

A fix has been developed; it should be deployed September 28.

This does not affect other services, and you can continue to use this account or create new accounts, but you will be unable to update the email address on this one until the issue is resolved.

1 Like

Hi @sandhawk - this bug should now be fixed. Can you try again? Please let me know if you run into any further difficulties updating your registration information.

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