New Boot Error -"[FAILED] Failed to start Setup Virtual Console."

English Install/Boot/Login
#1

After a recent Tumbleweed update (20170822?) I began to receive this error on boot:

[FAILED] Failed to start Setup Virtual Console.

The details as reported:

eric@linux-epth:~$ sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.service
● systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Setup Virtual Console
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-vconsole-setup.service; static; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: inactive (dead) since Thu 2017-08-24 20:04:51 CDT; 26min ago
     Docs: man:systemd-vconsole-setup.service(8)
           man:vconsole.conf(5)
  Process: 467 ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-vconsole-setup (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 467 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)


Aug 24 20:04:51 linux-epth systemd-vconsole-setup[467]: KD_FONT_OP_SET failed, fonts will not be copied to tty7: Invalid argument
Aug 24 20:04:51 linux-epth systemd[1]: Started Setup Virtual Console.
eric@linux-epth:~$

I have made no changes to my system configuration.

Any thoughts on the problem or a fix?

Thank you.

#2

You seem to be experiencing the same as in this thread
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/526731-systemd-vconsole-setup-failed-(-Fonts-will-not-be-copied-to-remaining-consoles)

I haven’t seen it… yet on my machines so can’t speculate too much but if this is oft-reported then it’s probably a bug.

Are you also setting up your system in some language other than English?
Inspect what is in that other thread, and perhaps try the fix or workaround I posted, which is to set your font in vconsole.conf instead of in sysconfig.

TSU

#3

My system is set to English, if that helps.

Yes, I did read the other post you referred to first (and posted there first) but the error codes look a bit different.

This gets my attention:

KD_FONT_OP_SET failed, fonts will not be copied to tty7: Invalid argument

Can’t find much on this error. Do you know what “KD_FONT_OP_SET” is or where it is set?

Thank you for your reply and help.

#4

That does appear to be different… Whereas the other thread suggests a problem setting up all ttys, yours may be specific to running a Desktop only.

What Desktop are you running, and is this a relatively new install or something you’ve bee using for more than 6 mths(I’m pulling a number out of the air)?
Have you noticed any unusual Windowing behavior, possibly any consoles run in your Desktop?

TSU

#5

Looks like this is likely a systemd upstream error.
I found where your error is generated, and I doubt anyone but upstream can do anything about it
https://github.com/systemd/systemd/blob/master/src/vconsole/vconsole-setup.c

Best to just submit a bug to https://bugzilla.opensuse.org

TSU

#6

I’m using xfce and have been about 1.5 years. Other than Tumblweed updates, no changes recently and everything else is fine. No windowing or other issues.

Have done some more research and think this is tied to a boot problem as systemctl work manually:

eric@linux-epth:~$ sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.service
[sudo] password for root: 
● systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Setup Virtual Console
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-vconsole-setup.service; static; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: inactive (dead) since Sat 2017-08-26 08:54:42 CDT; 1min 51s ago
     Docs: man:systemd-vconsole-setup.service(8)
           man:vconsole.conf(5)
  Process: 441 ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-vconsole-setup (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 441 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)


Aug 26 08:54:42 linux-epth systemd-vconsole-setup[441]: KD_FONT_OP_SET failed, fonts will not be copied to tty7: Invalid argument
Aug 26 08:54:42 linux-epth systemd[1]: Started Setup Virtual Console.
eric@linux-epth:~$ sudo systemctl start systemd-vconsole-setup.service
eric@linux-epth:~$ sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.service
● systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Setup Virtual Console
   Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-vconsole-setup.service; static; vendor preset: disabled)
   Active: inactive (dead) since Sat 2017-08-26 08:57:03 CDT; 4s ago
     Docs: man:systemd-vconsole-setup.service(8)
           man:vconsole.conf(5)
  Process: 2637 ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-vconsole-setup (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 2637 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)


Aug 26 08:57:02 linux-epth systemd[1]: Starting Setup Virtual Console...
Aug 26 08:57:03 linux-epth systemd[1]: Started Setup Virtual Console.
eric@linux-epth:~$

Hope this helps. Thanks.

#7

Seeing the same message here. But not able to find anything not working.

#8

I agree. See no problems other than the boot message.

I noticed this just after a recent Tumblweed update which (I think) had a dracut modification? When did you begin to get the error?

#9

Thank you. Filed: https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1055834

#10

Please see this thread: https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/6689

It is a reply from systemd about the probable cause of this error, a possible fix and the relationship between openSUSE Tumbleweed and systemd.

I found that last part interesting…

Thank you.

#11

I did some research yesterday, and I think this is a harmless message to do with a missing font or similar. **

#12

From the author of systemd:

“Ah, this reveals it. It’s not actually vconsole at fault here, but your /usr/bin/loadkeys tool fails with a failure exit code (and we invoke that, and propagate the exit code).The precise command we invoke is this:
/usr/bin/loadkeys -q -C /dev/tty1 -u us
Which results in a tonload “Invalid argument” messages from loadkeys. Does it work if you invoke it locally from a shell?
It appears to me you should contact your distro for help around this, as it’s the kbd package at fault here, not systemd/vconsole”

Full thread here: https://github.com/systemd/systemd/issues/6689

#13

Hi,
I just had this error too, after an update of tumbleweed.
I came across a suggestion on a fedora forum:

grubby --args=vconsole.font-latarcyrheb-sun16 --update-kernel /boot/vmlinuz.....

This made no difference on my system. The boot seem to stop and give a text mode login, but I noticed it is actually there. So after a bit of hassle, I did find the gdm login screen.
Any idea how to fix this?

Mons

#14

I saw this message yesterday once. It’s not a message I normally see. (Failed to start Setup Virtual Console)

#15

We now have September 27th, 2018, and this bug STILL isn’t fixed… What on earth?

#16

Not really, there is a patch available here https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/attachment.cgi?id=781830
The patch was submitted upstream and it may take some time to be accepted and backported to the update repo, please see https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1055834#c96