Arch Linux

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

I am trying to install the tor package and service (for use with torsocks) according to
https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Tor

I and my system are new to Arch, I would consider the system basic desktop install, not majorly tampered with technically, however I have disabled IPv6 with /etc/sysctl.conf/10-local.conf

net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.wlp3s0.disable_ipv6 = 1
net.ipv6.conf.enp0s25.disable_ipv6 = 1

after "pacman -S tor" I don't have a user in /etc/passwd called tor, though the output of pacman hints at errors

Creating group 'tor' with GID 43.
Creating user 'tor' (n/a) with UID 43 and GID 43.
/etc/gshadow: Group "root" already exists.
error: command failed to execute correctly

I tried to "systemctl enable --now tor" anyway, and that's a fail, so "systemctl status tor.service"

tor.service - Anonymizing overlay network for TCP
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/tor.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since 2min 49s ago
Invocation: 49091efeb31a44a6945132e0c4263dc3
    Process: 6095 ExecStartPre=/usr/bin/tor -f /etc/tor/torrc --verify-config (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Mem peak: 2.1M
        CPU: 22ms

systemd[1]: tor.service: Scheduled restart job, restart counter is at 5.
systemd[1]: tor.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
systemd[1]: tor.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
systemd[1]: Failed to start Anonymizing overlay network for TCP.

and

relevant journalctl -xeu tor.service

tor[6095]: 08:57:37.479 [warn] Error setting configured user: tor not found
tor[6095]: 08:57:37.479 [warn] Failed to parse/validate config: Problem with User value. See logs for details.

So - I can't start the service, and I can't run /usr/bin/tor as tor(user) because that user doesn't exist.

/etc/tor/torrc contains "User tor", as per default

Thanks for any advice

Last edited by deputy.invisible (2025-11-01 01:54:03)

-thc

Member

Registered: 2017-03-15

Posts: 1,059

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

You could try to re-add the group "tor" manually:

sudo groupadd -g 43 tor

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

I'm not sure this is the issue.  I can definitely add the group "tor" manually.  I tried it, but this doesn't allow the installation to proceed any better because the failure is after that has already been attempted without issue (see original).  The same problem occurs

Even if this workaround succeeded I'm none the wiser why "pacman -S tor" on a newish system is not progressing as expected.

Edit to add: both the tor group and tor user were absent after the original pacman (failed) installation.

Last edited by deputy.invisible (2025-11-01 06:34:05)

-thc

Member

Registered: 2017-03-15

Posts: 1,059

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

I have a virtual test system for this - tor installs without errors.

IMHO your error is already lurking inside your installation - tor is probably just a symptom. Check the system logs for hints.

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

OK, I'm not entirely sure what to tell you

With hostname and times redacted:
journalctl -b (pasting all 3 lines added since I last "pacman -R tor" "pacman -Sc tor" "pacman -S tor"

systemd[1]: Reload requested from client PID 2663 ('systemctl') (unit session-3.sco>
systemd[1]: Reloading...
systemd[1]: Reloading finished in 201 ms.

/var/log/pacman.log

[PACMAN] Running 'pacman -S tor'
[ALPM] transaction started
[ALPM] installed tor (0.4.8.19-1)
[ALPM] transaction completed
[ALPM] running '20-systemd-sysusers.hook'...
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'adbusers' with GID 969.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Suggested group ID 0 for root already used.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'root' with GID 968.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'cups' with GID 209.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'cups' (cups helper user) with UID 209 and GID 209.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'git' with GID 967.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'git' (git daemon user) with UID 967 and GID 967.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'mpd' with GID 45.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'mpd' (n/a) with UID 45 and GID 45.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'nm-openvpn' with GID 966.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'nm-openvpn' (NetworkManager OpenVPN) with UID 966 and GID 966.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'openvpn' with GID 965.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'openvpn' (OpenVPN) with UID 965 and GID 965.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'pcscd' with GID 964.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'pcscd' (PC/SC Smart Card Daemon) with UID 964 and GID 964.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'tor' with GID 43.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'tor' (n/a) with UID 43 and GID 43.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /etc/gshadow: Group "root" already exists.
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-daemon-reload-system.hook'...
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-tmpfiles.hook'...
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/mpd.conf:1: Failed to resolve user 'mpd': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/mpd.conf:2: Failed to resolve user 'mpd': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/mpd.conf:3: Failed to resolve user 'mpd': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/openvpn.conf:1: Failed to resolve user 'openvpn': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/openvpn.conf:2: Failed to resolve user 'openvpn': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/openvpn.conf:3: Failed to resolve user 'openvpn': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/openvpn.conf:4: Failed to resolve user 'openvpn': No such process
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/tor.conf:1: Failed to resolve user 'tor': No such process
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-update.hook'...

i could give you more of "journalctl -xeu tor.service", but i think this issue is a problem with user creation before i get to that stage

-thc

Member

Registered: 2017-03-15

Posts: 1,059

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

This is how the install process should look like:

[PACMAN] Running 'pacman -S tor'
[ALPM] transaction started
[ALPM] installed tor (0.4.8.19-1)
[ALPM] transaction completed
[ALPM] running '20-systemd-sysusers.hook'...
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating group 'tor' with GID 43.
[ALPM-SCRIPTLET] Creating user 'tor' (n/a) with UID 43 and GID 43.
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-daemon-reload-system.hook'...
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-tmpfiles.hook'...
[ALPM] running '30-systemd-update.hook'...
[...] 

All other messages imply problems:

The sysusers hook script has a backlog of system users that still need to be created.
The tmpfiles hook script detects several missing users - because they were never created.

And you seem to have a group "root" with GID 968?

Last edited by -thc (2025-11-01 12:15:52)

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

I can understand that "it works for you" so the problem is in fact mine.

I can understand that I may have modified something inadvertently that is causing my problems.

But I'm new to this system: your observations on my quoted output might be accurate, but I'm still lost.

cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 1,828

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

just as an idea: how EXACTLY did you install the system? have you gone the regular manual route by follow the guide? or did you use archinstall? have you followed some random guide/video?
the pacman log hints something already went very wrong during the initial install - like not given the base meta package to pacstrap

-thc

Member

Registered: 2017-03-15

Posts: 1,059

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

To prevent misunderstandings: I'm providing you with the output of a regular tor installation to help you to analyze the problem. Not to boast "Oh well, it works for me."

I can't possibly know whatever you did with this installation in the past - to arrive at this point with those errors.

At some point in the past something did go sideways. Maybe you noticed something strange or off then.

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

Followed the guide, gave a few extra things to pacstrap like nano and base-devel.

I'm now thinking that something has gone wrong SINCE install, because (for example, based on that log) I have previously installed git (successfully, it still works).  Just now I tried to reinstall, and it comes with similar issues to my tor installation problem.

deputy.invisible

Member

Registered: 2025-11-01

Posts: 6

Re: Installing tor service is failing - no user being created

@thc  understood. it did lead me to keep working on it, without luck.  I appreciate the time taken.  It seems my issue (now that I explicitly tried reinstalling git) is not tor-package-related at all, and must be something I have changed more recently

Last edited by deputy.invisible (2025-11-01 12:58:52)