Root account is not created during install

have an Ubuntu 20.04 LTS machine that I originally installed gitlab-ee 14.x a year or so ago. I used the procedure documented here:

Specifically, when I got to the step where gitlab-ee is installed, I specified the initial root password rather than using a randomly generated initial password. I used this command line to install:

GITLAB_ROOT_PASSWORD=“password” EXTERNAL_URL=“http://localhost/gitlab” apt -y install gitlab-ee

This is runing on a home network that will only have a few machines connecting to it, so I was trying to keep it as simple as possible. This has been working fine.

I am now trying to set up an Ubuntu 22.04 LTS machine and can’t get gitlab-ee I think it is version 16.x) to install correctly.

Even though I specified the root password, it still randomly generates one. The gitlab service is running (gitlab-ctl tail) shows it is running, and when I browse to http://localhost/gitlab I get the sign in page. However the root account doesn’t exist and I can’t log in.

I tried running the gitlab-rails console, `User.find_by_username(‘root’) returns NIL

How do I get it to correctly install?

Alternatively, where does gitlab keep the user account info? I moved /var/opt/git-data to different drive, and I backed up gitlab.rb, gitlab-secrets.json, and trusted-certs. Can I just move those from the ubuntu 20.04 machine to the 22.04 machine?

This would be ideal, because I want my existing machines to point to the new gitlab server and therefor I want to preserve the old database.

I uninstalled gitlab, updated ubuntu, and am trying to reinstall gitlab hoping that it would either work, or if it fails I would be able to post the error messages.

I uninstalled by running the following:

sudo gitlab-ctl stop && sudo gitlab-ctl remove-accounts
sudo gitlab-ctl cleanse && sudo rm -r /opt/gitlab
sudo apt -y remove gitlab-ee

Now I am getting a different failure. It has stalled at the following step:

  - create symlink at /opt/gitlab/init/logrotate to /opt/gitlab/embedded/bin/sv
* file[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/down] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)

[2023-08-05T20:11:08-05:00] INFO: template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/run] sending run action to ruby_block[restart_service] (
delayed)
* ruby_block[restart_service] action run (skipped due to only_if)
[2023-08-05T20:11:08-05:00] INFO: template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/log/config] sending create action to ruby_block[reload_l
og_service] (delayed)
* ruby_block[reload_log_service] action create
* ruby_block[restart_service] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)
* ruby_block[restart_log_service] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)
* ruby_block[reload_log_service] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate] action create (up to date)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/run] action create (up to date)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/log] action create (up to date)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/log/main] action create (up to date)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/log/config] action create (up to date)
* ruby_block[verify_chown_persisted_on_logrotate] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)
* link[/var/log/gitlab/logrotate/config] action create (up to date)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/log/run] action create (up to date)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/env] action create (up to date)
* ruby_block[Delete unmanaged env files for logrotate service] action run (skipped due to only_if)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/check] action create (skipped due to only_if)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/finish] action create (skipped due to only_if)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/control] action create (up to date)
* template[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/control/t] action create (up to date)
* link[/opt/gitlab/init/logrotate] action create (up to date)
* file[/opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate/down] action nothing (skipped due to action :nothing)
* directory[/opt/gitlab/service] action create (up to date)
* link[/opt/gitlab/service/logrotate] action create[2023-08-05T20:11:09-05:00] INFO: link[/opt/gitlab/service/logrotat
e] created

    - create symlink at /opt/gitlab/service/logrotate to /opt/gitlab/sv/logrotate
  * ruby_block[wait for logrotate service socket] action run

Progress: [ 60%] [#############################################################…]

Any idea what is going on and how to fix it?

These are the processes that are running:
arkh@markh-mint21:/media/markh/home/markh/installers/gitlab$ ps -a
PID TTY TIME CMD
3502 pts/0 00:00:00 sudo
3504 pts/1 00:00:00 install-gitlab.
5200 pts/1 00:00:00 apt
5203 pts/1 00:00:02 apt
5343 pts/2 00:00:00 gitlab-ee.posti
17616 pts/2 00:00:00 gitlab-ctl
17617 pts/2 00:00:01 omnibus-ctl
17620 pts/2 00:00:15 cinc-client
19052 pts/3 00:00:00 ps

When removing gitlab you need to manually remove all the directories gitlab created, in /var, in /opt in /etc or wherever else it’s mentioned