> Source: [sk183977](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk183977)

# sk183977 - Persistent ns_relay error logs after VSX upgrade to R82

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk183977 |
| Date Created | 2025-09-16 |
| Last Modified | 2026-06-17 |
| Technical Level | Advanced |
| Products | Security Gateway |
| Versions | R82.10, R82, R81.20 |
| OS | Gaia |

## Symptoms

- * After upgrading a Virtual System Extension (VSX), repeated error logs indicating restarts and failures of ns_relay processes appear in the `/var/log/messages` file.

  System logs show frequent entries similar to the example below:
  `
  Restarted /opt/CPshrd-R82/CTX/CTX00005/bin/ns_relay_5`  
  `
  Reaped: ns_relay_5
  `
* No functional impact is observed in the environment, but persistent error messages continue to appear in the system logs.

* Attempts to update process paths using `dbset` commands do not resolve the issue.

* The system shows that dnsmasq is running, but old ns_relay bindings remain in the configuration.

## Cause

During the upgrade, the legacy `ns_relay` process was replaced with the `dnsmasq` process for Domain Name System (DNS) relay functionality.

However, old `ns_relay` bindings remain in the system configuration database. As a result, the system continues to attempt starting `ns_relay` processes that no longer exist, leading to repeated error logs and process restarts.

## Solution

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