Recently apache2 fails to start at boot, but can be started OK manually

[Chris Green]

Just recently on my 21.04 system apache2 has failed to start at boot
time with the following errors reported by systemd:-

    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo systemd[1]: Starting The Apache HTTP Server...
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo apachectl[853]: (99)Cannot assign requested address: AH00072: make_sock: could not bind to address 192.168.1.3:80
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo apachectl[853]: no listening sockets available, shutting down
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo apachectl[853]: AH00015: Unable to open logs
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo apachectl[821]: Action 'start' failed.
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo apachectl[821]: The Apache error log may have more information.
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo systemd[1]: apache2.service: Control process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo systemd[1]: apache2.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
    Oct 26 13:42:11 esprimo systemd[1]: Failed to start The Apache HTTP Server.


If, after the system has booted, I just run '/etc/init.d/apache2 start'  
from the command line (as root of course) then it starts without any
problems or errors.

It always used to work!  I think it has only started failing in the
past few weeks.

Presumably the problem is timing related, apache2 is trying to start
before the required socket resources are available, but why has it
only recently started to go wrong?


Does anyone have any information about this and/or ways to fix it?

-- 
Chris Green