How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

probackup-nl · 2019-12-31 13:44:16

Updatedb may bring your system down when your (USB thumb) drive goes berserk, especially when having FAT lookup loops (in the UEFI boot partition).

That is one of the reasons why I want to disable the updatedb.timer and keep it disabled over OS and systemd upgrades.

Lone_Wolf suggests an option at https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 6#p1549346 to "Write your own updatedb.service file WITH the needed section to use enable/disable." with the disadvantage that upstream might change the service file.

--
I tend to write overrides in newly created folders like /etc/systemd/updatedb.conf.d/, is that a good location for my purpose?

What do I write, as that needed section, in the override.conf file to be able to disable (and keep it disabled) and why?

# cat /usr/lib/systemd/system/updatedb.service
[Unit]
Description=Update locate database

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=/usr/bin/updatedb
IOSchedulingClass=idle

What to do to permanently disable the updatedb.timer as well?

CarbonChauvinist · 2019-12-31 14:10:23

ArchWiki wrote:

Mask a unit to make it impossible to start it (both manually and as a dependency, which makes masking dangerous):
# systemctl mask unit

probackup-nl · 2019-12-31 14:47:20

Mask seems to only help until there is a systemd upgrade. I prefer something more permanent.

Though I wish to prevent

pacman -Rs mlocate

to remove locate completely.

Last edited by probackup-nl (2019-12-31 15:06:54)

Trilby · 2019-12-31 15:10:37

probackup-nl wrote:

Mask seems to only help until there is a systemd upgrade.

Where did you get this idea? Masking should be permanent until you unmask it.

probackup-nl · 2019-12-31 16:20:29

Trilby wrote:

Where did you get this idea?

The same post from Lone_Wolf (as linked in my original message), states:

Masking such a service is intended to be temporarily only, and it will be unmasked on next upgrade of systemd.

Trilby · 2019-12-31 16:48:19

I see no basis for that claim at all. It is not temporary, and it will not be undone by updates. Masking litterally just creates a symlink to /dev/null under /etc/systemd for the masked service. Package upgrades should never modify any service file under /etc/systemd.

Lone_Wolf · 2020-01-02 15:32:25

That claim was valid in the past for archlinux systemd package, it reset all things in /etc/systemd to default values upon update.
This was not considered a bug, but a feature.

I can't find when that was (bugtracker and forum have way to may threads/bug reports that include systemd and mask to check them), and there's no sign it still is that way.
I'll edit the other thread.

Arch Linux

#1 2019-12-31 13:44:16

How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#2 2019-12-31 14:10:23

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#3 2019-12-31 14:47:20

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#4 2019-12-31 15:10:37

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#5 2019-12-31 16:20:29

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#6 2019-12-31 16:48:19

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

#7 2020-01-02 15:32:25

Re: How to permanently keep updatedb.timer disabled even systemd upgrades

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