Systemd service fails with status=217/USER

[xose]

OS: Ubuntu Xenial

Starting log-courier as a systemd service fails with status=217/USER

This is due to the default username containing a dash and being set on the service file using an environment variable.

As a workaround the user can be changed to root or any other user without a dash on the /etc/defaults/log-courier file, or set directly on the .service file with User=log-courier

[NeckBeardPrince]

OS: CentOS 7

The work around for me was to delete the Environment="LOG_COURIER_USER=root" line and just set User=root

Defining the user in a Env var and in the Config it's self seems like double work to me.

[Service]
Type=simple
Environment="LOG_COURIER_USER=root"
EnvironmentFile=/etc/sysconfig/log-courier
ExecStartPre=/sbin/log-courier $LOG_COURIER_ARGS -config-test
ExecStart=/sbin/log-courier $LOG_COURIER_ARGS
ExecReload=/bin/kill -s HUP $MAINPID
ExecStop=/bin/kill -s TERM $MAINPID
PrivateTmp=true
StandardError=syslog
User=$LOG_COURIER_USER

[driskell]

The idea was to allow the user to be changed by the environment file. Somethings not working though clearly. I need to look into it.

[MKuzma]

I can confirm I observed the same behavior on Cent OS 7 making me scratch my head to find out what could cause this. Anyway commenting line User=... helps but LC starts under root even with Environment="LOG_COURIER_USER=log-courier".

[driskell]

Sorry about the issue. I can confirm that User= does not allow variables it seems.
So you have to edit User= to contain the actual user.

I'm in process of updating the systemd units so they are config files and can be modified.
And removing LOG_COURIER_USER variable since it cannot be used with systemd.

[driskell]

The reason there was the Environment= entry as well as User= referring to it was so there was a default, and the EnvironmentFile= then can pull in a different user if need be.

[MKuzma]

Yes, if we edit the User= it works as it should. If LC ever ran under root user then people don't forget to change the permissions in /var/lib/log-courier, /var/run/log-courier or it will fail to start again.

[driskell]

@shameerariff This isn’t the right repository for your query. I have no idea what traccar is.

[shameerariff]

@shameerariff This isn’t the right repository for your query. I have no idea what traccar is.

Sorry it was wrongly posted.
Thank you.

[joshuadiezmo]

I encounter the same problem. just update the User=