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jordan

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 2

[Solved] openvpn startup error: Failed at step CHDIR spawning

I'm trying to start an openvpn v2.4.9 server with running

systemctl start openvpn-server@server

as root.

This results in the following error:

 The job identifier is 176005 and the job result is failed.
Nov 03 13:42:35 hostname audit[1]: SERVICE_START pid=1 uid=0 auid=4294967295 ses=4294967295 msg='unit=openvpn-server@-etc-openvpn-server.onf comm="systemd" exe="/usr/lib/systemd/systemd" hostname=? addr=?>
Nov 03 13:42:35 hostname systemd[100169]: openvpn-server@-etc-openvpn-server.service: Changing to the requested working directory failed: No such file or directory
Nov 03 13:42:35 hostname systemd[100169]: openvpn-server@-etc-openvpn-server.service: Failed at step CHDIR spawning /usr/bin/openvpn: No such file or directory
Subject: Process /usr/bin/openvpn could not be executed
Defined-By: systemd
Support: https://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/systemd-devel

The process /usr/bin/openvpn could not be executed and failed.

I am not quite sure what is meant with "Failed at CHDIR spawning".

/usr/bin/openvpn is existing and executable for everyone:

root@hostname > ls -l /usr/bin/openvpn
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 788544 Apr 20  2020 /usr/bin/openvpn

/usr and /usr/bin are enterable by anyone as well.

My config is located at /etc/openvpn/server.conf and looks like this:

user nobody
group nobody

persist-key
persist-tun

proto udp
proto udp6

dev tun

ca /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/pki/ca.crt
cert /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/pki/issued/cert.crt
key /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/pki/private/key.key
dh /etc/openvpn/easy-rsa/pki/dh.pem

cipher AES-256-CBC
auth SHA512
comp-lzo
reneg-sec 36000

server 192.168.100.0 255.255.255.0
push "route 192.168.100.0 255.255.255.0"

keepalive 10 36000

status openvpn-status.log

log /var/log/openvpn.log

verb 6

None of the two logfiles list any valuable information.

Do you need more information from my system?

Any help is highly appreciated.

Last edited by jordan (2020-11-03 19:36:18)

jordan

Member

Registered: 2020-08-11

Posts: 2

Re: [Solved] openvpn startup error: Failed at step CHDIR spawning

server.conf was mislocated. Apparently, the system expects server.conf to be located at /etc/openvpn/server and does not search other places. Moving the file to this location solved the issue.