[SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

PerpetualLearner · 2020-07-19 05:45:14

I am installing arch on my dell laptop and somehow gpm.service did not start automatically because (as per systemctl status) by the time it tried to start the condition ConditionPathExists=/dev/input/mice was broken (maybe /dev was not yet mounted or something like it, I am unsure).

I could start it manually (by the time I login the node exists) but I decided to try to fix it and learn myself some systemd along the way so after some digging created /etc/systemd/system/gpm.path that seemed to work, as follows:

[Install]
RequiredBy=gpm.service

[Path]
PathExists=/dev/input/mice

and added

[Unit]
After=gpm.path

to gpm.service unit config using

systemctl edit gpm.service

.

This worked in a sense that gpm now starts automatically and mouse works in the console "out of the box". systemctl status shows that both gpm.service and gpm.path units are enabled and active BUT it also shows this Warning at the bottom (for both units):

Warning: some journal files were not opened due to insufficient permissions.

So, I have two questions:

1. Is my approach to fix is conventional / correct? (asking as I have never seen any examples of .path units; none is pre-installed; on the other hand, I could not find the issue itself on the Internet either so I am unsure if I was fixing the correct thing).
2. What could be the issue with permissions? Both systemd and gpm are running under root, so I am confused.

Thank you,
PerpetualLearner

Last edited by PerpetualLearner (2020-07-19 22:22:11)

jasonwryan · 2020-07-19 05:46:46

Why is this marked as Solved? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … way_street

PerpetualLearner · 2020-07-19 06:01:30

jasonwryan wrote:

Why is this marked as Solved? https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Co … way_street

It is actually marked [SOLVED?]. I was unsure whether it is solved correctly, hence the question and the question mark in the marking. (I have read the code of conduct but did not find anything directly discouraging this type of marking; I thought the marking could be useful in case there is no answers as the post does include some solution).

Last edited by PerpetualLearner (2020-07-19 06:05:08)

jasonwryan · 2020-07-19 06:21:21

Well, you have two unanswered questions, so I wouldn't consider it solved...

Lone_Wolf · 2020-07-19 12:17:24

PerpetualLearner wrote:

2. What could be the issue with permissions? Both systemd and gpm are running under root, so I am confused.

It could be the user you ran 'systemctl status' as lacks permissions to access some journal files.
check https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Us … Group_list

PerpetualLearner · 2020-07-19 20:47:51

Lone_Wolf wrote:

It could be the user you ran 'systemctl status' as lacks permissions to access some journal files.
check https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Us … Group_list

Thanks Lone_Wolf! I was certain, for no reason, that the issue was with opening for writing but apparently it was for reading. Tried with sudo and the warning went away.

Toad39 · 2020-07-19 20:52:26

Please put your unit file as well as any other output/log/file in code tags to make it more readable.

Last edited by Toad39 (2020-07-19 20:53:31)

PerpetualLearner · 2020-07-19 21:06:30

jasonwryan wrote:

Well, you have two unanswered questions, so I wouldn't consider it solved...

I guess this is fair to say.

By now though I got the 2nd question answered and, after looking at

systemctl status

output with logs and finding no apparent irregularities, I tend to accept my solution as passable so the 1st question goes away, too, so re-marking this just [SOLVED] (no question mark). I guess the issue was unique enough (everyone else seems to have /dev/input/mice existing by the time gpm.service wants to start) to warrant my somewhat inelegant solution.

Arch Linux

#1 2020-07-19 05:45:14

[SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#2 2020-07-19 05:46:46

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#3 2020-07-19 06:01:30

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#4 2020-07-19 06:21:21

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#5 2020-07-19 12:17:24

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#6 2020-07-19 20:47:51

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#7 2020-07-19 20:52:26

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

#8 2020-07-19 21:06:30

Re: [SOLVED] /dev/input/mice not there when gpm.service starts

Board footer