[SOLVED] Cannot enable services

mipi · 2018-11-16 06:18:07

Hi,
strangly enough, I cannot enable some services during Arch Linux installation. I installed ntp, wicd via pacstrap, e.g. Then,

systemctl enable --now ntpd.service

fails with the error message

System has not been booted with systemd as init system (PID 1). Can't operate. Failed to connect to bus: Host is down

same with wicd.service. However, at the end of the installation I am able to start ntp via

systemctl enable --now ntpd.service

But

systemctl enable --now wicd.service

leads to the error message

Failed to enable unit: Unit file wicd.service does nost exist.

though wicd has been installed successfully. I've no idea how to solve that.
Thanks,
mipi

Last edited by mipi (2018-11-17 15:35:59)

jasonwryan · 2018-11-16 06:30:32

You do it when you have booted into the system.

mipi · 2018-11-16 17:59:59

You mean after a reboot?

Actually, I would like to have the installation automated as far as possible. Therefore, I do the installation via script. I created a meta package that contains all packages that I want to have installed as dependencies. In the script, the meta package is installed via pacstrap. The corresponding services (for ntp, wicd etc.) are enabled in the post_install() hook - at least that was my idea, but that doesn't seem to work. If the service enablement can only be done after a reboot, is there any possibility to automate that (e.g. by triggering that already somehow during the installation)? As far as I understand the documentation, neither the PKGBUILD hooks nor the pacman hooks support something like that.

jasonwryan · 2018-11-16 18:01:47

mipi wrote:

I do the installation via script.

Burying the lede.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Sy … by_default

ewaller · 2018-11-16 19:19:36

Enabled services are nothing more that soft links under /etc/systemd/... that aim back to /usr/lib/...
Just create them in the script.

ewaller@turing/home/ewaller % ls -l /etc/systemd//system/*wants/
/etc/systemd//system/bluetooth.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 41 Sep 10  2017 bluetooth.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/bluetooth.service

/etc/systemd//system/getty.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Apr 10  2015 getty@tty1.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/getty@.service

/etc/systemd//system/multi-user.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 May  4  2015 acpid.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/acpid.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 39 Jul 17  2015 hddtemp.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/hddtemp.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Aug 28  2015 hpfall.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/hpfall.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 40 Jun 29  2016 iptables.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/iptables.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 42 Sep 27  2015 lm_sensors.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/lm_sensors.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 37 Nov 25  2015 local.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/local.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 43 Apr 13  2015 org.cups.cupsd.path -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/org.cups.cupsd.path
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 33 Mar 24  2018 router2.mount -> /etc/systemd/system/router2.mount
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Mar 24  2018 router-share.mount -> /etc/systemd/system/router-share.mount
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 40 Mar 24  2018 router-storage.mount -> /etc/systemd/system/router-storage.mount
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Nov 25  2015 smartd.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/smartd.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 36 May 12  2015 sshd.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/sshd.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 48 Oct 23  2015 systemd-networkd.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-networkd.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 48 Jul  7  2017 systemd-resolved.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-resolved.service
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 47 Oct 23  2015 wpa_supplicant@wlo1.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/wpa_supplicant@.service

/etc/systemd//system/printer.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 46 Apr 13  2015 org.cups.cupsd.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/org.cups.cupsd.service

/etc/systemd//system/sockets.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 45 Apr 13  2015 org.cups.cupsd.socket -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/org.cups.cupsd.socket
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Feb 28  2016 rpcbind.socket -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/rpcbind.socket
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 47 Oct 23  2015 systemd-networkd.socket -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-networkd.socket

/etc/systemd//system/sysinit.target.wants/:
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 49 Apr 11  2015 systemd-timesyncd.service -> /usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-timesyncd.service
ewaller@turing/home/ewaller %

Slithery · 2018-11-16 20:09:28

Enabled services are just symlinks in the relevant directories, there's nothing stopping you creating these manually using ln.

Edit - Oops, hadn't realised how long I'd had this page open before replying. See ewallers answer above

Last edited by Slithery (2018-11-16 20:10:18)

mipi · 2018-11-17 09:57:55

I tried out different approaches, but unfortunately, one of them worked.

I tried jasonwryans proposal. The symlink to /dev/null has been successfully created in /etc/systemd/system-preset, but the services do not start
I put a file named 10_mipi.preset in /usr/lib/systemd/system-preset that contained service enabling statements (as described in the systemd.preset docu:
```
enable ntpd.service
enable wicd.service
```
The file is created correctly, but the services do not start.
As ewaller and Slithery proposed, I created symbolic links in /etc/systemd/system:
```
ln -s /usr/lib/systemd/system/ntpd.service /etc/systemd/system/ntpd.service
ln -s /usr/lib/systemd/system/wicd.service /etc/systemd/system/wicd.service
```
The links are created correctly (I can see them), but the services do not start

Any idea what went wrong?

mipi · 2018-11-17 10:22:47

OK. It works with ewallers and Slitherys option if the symlinks are created in /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants.

But why don't the other options work?

mipi · 2018-11-17 15:35:14

Solved

systemctl preset-all

in the post_install() hook of PKGBUILD did the trick!

To summarize the approach:

I defined a meta package that contains the packages that I want to have installed
The meta package contains a preset policy file that contains the enable statements for the corresponding services (see man page of systemd.preset).
The PKGBUILD of the meta package contains an install statement that installs the preset file in
```
$pkgdir/usr/lib/systemd/system-preset
```
The post_install() hook contains the statement
```
systemctl preset-all
```
which executes the preset policies (see man page of systemctl) .

With this approach, the enablement of the required services after reboot can already be specified during the installation.

Thanks to all for the very helpful solution proposals!

Last edited by mipi (2018-11-17 15:38:13)

jamies · 2022-11-22 22:01:50

For anyone arriving this thread wondering how to enable sshd during the chroot phase of the installation process on a headless server, I did so like this:

After setting sshd configuration and uploading my public keys to ~/.ssh/authorized keys, I ran:

ln -s '/usr/lib/systemd/system/sshd.service' '/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/sshd.service'

It was interesting to learn that systemctl enable does exactly the same thing... You learn something new every day... thanks ewaller!

Arch Linux

#1 2018-11-16 06:18:07

[SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#2 2018-11-16 06:30:32

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#3 2018-11-16 17:59:59

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#4 2018-11-16 18:01:47

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#5 2018-11-16 19:19:36

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#6 2018-11-16 20:09:28

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#7 2018-11-17 09:57:55

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#8 2018-11-17 10:22:47

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#9 2018-11-17 15:35:14

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

#10 2022-11-22 22:01:50

Re: [SOLVED] Cannot enable services

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