Systemd-vconsole-setup.service fails to start at boot

yak · January 11, 2024, 9:11pm

Hey there!
When I boot my machine, I have several errors related to systemd-vconsole-setup.service that fails to start.

sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.service returns this:

× systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Virtual Console Setup
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-vconsole-setup.service; static)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Thu 2024-01-11 21:56:16 CET; 10min ago
   Duration: 3.084s
       Docs: man:systemd-vconsole-setup.service(8)
             man:vconsole.conf(5)
    Process: 1657 ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-vconsole-setup (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Main PID: 1657 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 6ms

gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd-vconsole-setup[1657]: No usable source console found: Device or resource busy
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: Failed to start Virtual Console Setup.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: Failed to start Virtual Console Setup.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Start request repeated too quickly.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
gen 11 21:56:16 tumbleweed systemd[1]: Failed to start Virtual Console Setup.

Strange thing is that if I manually do sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.servicethen it starts correctly. It just can’t start during boot.

Any idea?

Thanks.

malcolmlewis · January 11, 2024, 9:18pm

@yak Hi, a know issue on Tumbleweed (race condition with plymouth apparently) as a Tumbleweed user it’s recommended to follow the Factory Mailing List where you will find such issues discussed… https://lists.opensuse.org/archives/list/factory@lists.opensuse.org/thread/QYOMXCP4YT2JXL424I3IQVGZWL3BYDLQ/

yak · January 11, 2024, 9:24pm

Thank you so much, didn’t know that.
It’d be better to do the modification suggested there as a workaround or to do nothing waiting for an update to fix this?

karlmistelberger · January 11, 2024, 9:28pm

Turned off animation at the kernel command line with plymouth.enable=0.

erlangen:~ # journalctl -b -u ply*
Jan 10 19:19:02 erlangen systemd[1]: Show Plymouth Boot Screen was skipped because of an unmet condition check (ConditionKernelCommandLine=!plymouth.enable=0).
Jan 10 19:19:06 erlangen systemd[1]: Starting Plymouth switch root service...
Jan 10 19:19:06 erlangen systemd[1]: Finished Plymouth switch root service.
Jan 10 19:19:06 erlangen systemd[1]: Show Plymouth Boot Screen was skipped because of an unmet condition check (ConditionKernelCommandLine=!plymouth.enable=0).
Jan 10 19:19:07 erlangen systemd[1]: Starting Tell Plymouth To Write Out Runtime Data...
Jan 10 19:19:07 erlangen systemd[1]: Finished Tell Plymouth To Write Out Runtime Data.
Jan 10 19:19:08 erlangen systemd[1]: Show Plymouth Boot Screen was skipped because of an unmet condition check (ConditionKernelCommandLine=!plymouth.enable=0).
Jan 10 19:19:09 erlangen systemd[1]: Starting Hold until boot process finishes up...
Jan 10 19:19:09 erlangen systemd[1]: Finished Hold until boot process finishes up.
erlangen:~ #

malcolmlewis · January 11, 2024, 9:33pm

I would copy the systemd unit file to /etc/systemd/system and edit as per the comment https://bugzilla.opensuse.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1218618#c4

yak · January 11, 2024, 10:48pm

Thank you.

karlmistelberger · January 12, 2024, 11:27am

Since 2016 I several times proceeded as suggested above. This backfired when the vendor version was upgraded.

Switched to drop-in:

6700k:~ # systemctl edit plymouth-start.service
Successfully installed edited file '/etc/systemd/system/plymouth-start.service.d/override.conf'.
6700k:~ #

6700k:~ # systemctl cat plymouth-start.service 
# /usr/lib/systemd/system/plymouth-start.service
[Unit]
Description=Show Plymouth Boot Screen
DefaultDependencies=no
Wants=systemd-ask-password-plymouth.path systemd-vconsole-setup.service
After=systemd-vconsole-setup.service systemd-udev-trigger.service systemd-udevd.service
Before=systemd-ask-password-plymouth.service
ConditionKernelCommandLine=!plymouth.enable=0
ConditionVirtualization=!container

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/sbin/plymouthd --mode=boot --pid-file=/run/plymouth/pid --attach-to-session
ExecStartPost=-/usr/bin/plymouth show-splash
Type=forking
RemainAfterExit=yes
KillMode=none
SendSIGKILL=no

# /etc/systemd/system/plymouth-start.service.d/override.conf
[Unit]
IgnoreOnIsolate=true

[Service]
KillMode=mixed
6700k:~ #

Gorship · January 14, 2024, 8:34am

Greetings!

The above override seems to work great for plymouth but the systemd-vconsole-setup.service still shows as failed. Its easy enough to start it manually but im unsure if theres a more elegant way to remedy this completely?

karlmistelberger · January 14, 2024, 8:39am

You may need to rebuild dracut: dracut -f.

Gorship · January 14, 2024, 8:06pm

Many thanks!

Hmm I have done this and still have the error for systemd-vconsole-setup.service, not sure how to investigate too far with it. These sorts of things do leave my small realm of knowledge.

gorship@localhost:~> sudo systemctl status systemd-vconsole-setup.service
× systemd-vconsole-setup.service - Virtual Console Setup
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-vconsole-setup.service; static)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Sun 2024-01-14 11:53:29 PST; 9min ago
   Duration: 1.895s
       Docs: man:systemd-vconsole-setup.service(8)
             man:vconsole.conf(5)
    Process: 1389 ExecStart=/usr/lib/systemd/systemd-vconsole-setup (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
   Main PID: 1389 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
        CPU: 3ms

Jan 14 11:53:29 localhost systemd[1]: Starting Virtual Console Setup...
Jan 14 11:53:29 localhost systemd-vconsole-setup[1389]: No usable source console found: Device or resource busy
Jan 14 11:53:29 localhost systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Jan 14 11:53:29 localhost systemd[1]: systemd-vconsole-setup.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Jan 14 11:53:29 localhost systemd[1]: Failed to start Virtual Console Setup.

and again just to be clear plymouth is starting just fine now. Any help is appreciated

Gorship · January 14, 2024, 8:26pm

ah apologies - drop in worked fine

For anyone who may google their way here and is faster to type than read (such as myself)

when you sudo systemctl edit plymouth-start.service double check you are putting the drop in information in the right area. My file specifically had a “below here is ignored” section that i kind of just glossed over. Dont be like me

quick dracut -f as root and you should be rockin’

Works great - ty ty Karl.

Best,