[SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

Markus00000 · 2016-10-11 14:04:50

If I switch to a virtual console, I see a blinking underscore for about 4 seconds until the login prompt is finally displayed. After logging out, it again takes about 4 seconds of blinking for the new login prompt to appear.

This only affects one of my Arch installations, the other one on a much slower computer shows the prompts instantly. I am unaware of any changes I have done to cause this.

Enabling a getty service, e.g. getty@tty2.service, will cause the prompt to be ready immediately after boot without delay but after logging in and out it will have the same delay.

Setting NAutoVTs=6 in /etc/systemd/logind.conf has no effect.

Only this getty service is enabled:

.
├── getty.target.wants
│   └── getty@tty1.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/getty@.service

What could be causing this?

Last edited by Markus00000 (2016-10-11 17:50:34)

Lone_Wolf · 2016-10-11 14:17:13

Sounds like a videodriver that has trouble switching between X and console mode.

Are you booting to graphical.target / display manager ?
If so, does this happen also if you boot directly to console / multi-user.target ( use kernel parameter "systemd.unit=multi-user.target" on boot ) ?

What videocard and driver are you using ?

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2016-10-11 14:17:39)

Markus00000 · 2016-10-11 14:28:53

Thanks for replying.

The delay also occurs when no X is involved. Booting to console and switching TTYs is enough to cause it.

Intel HD 4000 with xf86-video-intel.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-10-11 16:59:02

For instant console switching with a Haswell card, I would recommend enabling an early KMS start.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ke … _KMS_start

Markus00000 · 2016-10-11 17:10:05

I booted the current Arch ISO and console switching was instant. So, what in my installation could cause this?

@Head_on_a_Stick Considering that it takes more than 4 seconds while being instant on the live ISO and on all distributions I have ever booted, I am not sure why it should suddenly require KMS to launch a TTY within a reasonable amount of time.

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-10-11 17:13:48

Is there anything printed to the journal during the pause?

Markus00000 · 2016-10-11 17:48:03

Thanks for making me take a closer look at the journal.

I had to temporarily swap the (non-system) HDD in this laptop. As it is only temporary, the mount point is still in /etc/fstab. As expected systemd informs about the failed mount during boot and writes corresponding journal entries.

What I had not noticed before is that this is happening for each TTY initialization, no matter how long the system has been running already. systemd waits for the drive to mount for 5 seconds as set in my /etc/fstab and only then shows the prompt.

The timeout obviously disappears when I remove the mount point.

Can anyone explain why this happens? Why would it wait for a mount point that failed during boot again and again?

Lone_Wolf · 2016-10-12 11:28:25

It may have to do with mount options you use, like systemd-automount .

please post /etc/fstab and "findmnt /whatever/the/mountpoint/for/this/drive/is"

(the findmnt is there to verify the options in fstab are actually in use and not overridden somewhere)

Markus00000 · 2016-10-14 06:53:47

I would be surprised if it were not the mount options considering the delay matches the timeout. I just wonder why it would wait for the drive during each and every TTY initialization instead of only during boot.

/etc/fstab
----------
UUID=<uuid> /media/data xfs  rw,nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=5 0 2

# findmnt /media/data
TARGET      SOURCE    FSTYPE OPTIONS
/media/data /dev/sda3 xfs    rw,relatime,attr2,inode64,noquota

I have looked at “man systemd.mount” but did not find an explanation.

Last edited by Markus00000 (2016-10-14 06:54:13)

Arch Linux

#1 2016-10-11 14:04:50

[SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#2 2016-10-11 14:17:13

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#3 2016-10-11 14:28:53

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#4 2016-10-11 16:59:02

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#5 2016-10-11 17:10:05

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#6 2016-10-11 17:13:48

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#7 2016-10-11 17:48:03

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#8 2016-10-12 11:28:25

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

#9 2016-10-14 06:53:47

Re: [SOLVED] Long timeout until TTY login prompt is displayed

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