Arch Linux

olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

[Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

During my last couple of installations I've noticed this:

# ln -s /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Oslo /etc/localtime
ln: failed to create symbolic link '/etc/localtime': File exists

# readlink -f /etc/localtime
/usr/share/zoneinfo/UTC

I know this isn't a problem at all. I'm just curious. Is there a reason for this newly default setting to be created during the pacstrap process?

And to all the moderators and contributors: The quality of these pages are pure gold. I always manage to resolve my problems/issues by reading the wiki and forum pages. Thank you guys!!

Last edited by olegabrielz (2017-02-09 16:24:12)

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Pyntux

Member

From: Serbia

Registered: 2008-12-21

Posts: 414

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

I saw that also, and I just deleted localtime file, and linked new one....But I am curios also, is that something new or what?

Last edited by Pyntux (2017-02-08 16:43:47)

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olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

^ I just do the same as you. I'm not sure when this change came about. But probably within the last couple of months.

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Head_on_a_Stick

Member

From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 8,778

Website

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Hey olegabrielz

I noticed this too recently, I have added a bit to the talk section of the ArchWiki installation guide to alert the team.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ta … _time_zone

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2017-02-08 19:46:47)

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Thanks Head_on_a_Stick

This was not a big issue at all. As you suggested - a small adjustment in the wiki - would resolve it. Should I mark this as solved or wait until the changes have been made?

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Head_on_a_Stick

Member

From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 8,778

Website

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

I think that perhaps we should await a reply on the Talk page, I may have overlooked something obvious.

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Jin, Jîyan, Azadî

olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Ok. The only thing I'm pretty sure of is that this default symlink did not come with installing the base group earlier.

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Head_on_a_Stick

Member

From: The Wirral

Registered: 2014-02-20

Posts: 8,778

Website

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Well, we have a reply from @Lahwaacz:

systemd creates the symlink as per /usr/lib/tmpfiles.d/etc.conf. This should have been the case since at least 2014

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Ta … _time_zone

So the official installation guide has had this error for two and a half years 

Good thing you brought this up olegabrielz, hopefully it will be corrected soon.

I will keep an eye on the Guide and bump this thread when it is fixed so that you can mark this [SOLVED]

EDIT: added link.

Last edited by Head_on_a_Stick (2017-02-09 08:02:40)

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Alad

Wiki Admin/IRC Op

From: Bagelstan

Registered: 2014-05-04

Posts: 2,420

Website

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Not quite cleared up yet: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?ti … did=467956

Also I haven't installed in a while (about october last year) but I don't recall needing ln -sf rather than ln -s…

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Slithery

Administrator

From: Norfolk, UK

Registered: 2013-12-01

Posts: 5,776

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

So the official installation guide has had this error for two and a half years 

Nope. I did a fresh install a few months ago and this error didn't exist.

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No, it didn't "fix" anything. It just shifted the brokeness one space to the right. - jasonwryan
Closing -- for deletion; Banning -- for muppetry. - jasonwryan

aur - dotfiles

olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

I do install quite often and this behaviour of an existing symlink started just a couple of months ago. If it was there before that then the ln -s must have overwritten it. And that seems quite strange since you have to use the ln -sf to overwrite an existing symlink.

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Alad

Wiki Admin/IRC Op

From: Bagelstan

Registered: 2014-05-04

Posts: 2,420

Website

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

It seems the culprit was a pacman post-transaction hook:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?ti … did=467958

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Mods are just community members who have the occasionally necessary option to move threads around and edit posts. -- Trilby

olegabrielz

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2015-12-23

Posts: 255

Re: [Solved] Inst. guide - Time zone - Failed to create symbolic link

Thanks. Wiki updated. Problem solved

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