Differences between revisions 40 and 41
Revision 40 as of 2010-11-17 12:44:27
Size: 4452
Editor: ?SedatDilek
Comment: Linux Plumbers *Conference*, fix a typo in section "Future plans"
Revision 41 as of 2010-11-17 13:09:47
Size: 4555
Editor: ?SedatDilek
Comment: Note: systemd-sysv replaces sysvinit package and changes symlink like "/sbin/init -> /bin/systemd"
Deletions are marked like this. Additions are marked like this.
Line 32: Line 32:
Workaround #2: Install systemd-sysv and put package "on hold" ("ugly" solution) Workaround #2: Install systemd-sysv and put package "on hold" ("ugly" solution). Note: systemd-sysv replaces sysvinit package and changes symlink like "/sbin/init -> /bin/systemd".

Introduction

systemd is a system and service manager for Linux, compatible with SysV and LSB init scripts. systemd provides aggressive parallelization capabilities, uses socket and D-Bus activation for starting services, offers on-demand starting of daemons, keeps track of processes using Linux cgroups, supports snapshotting and restoring of the system state, maintains mount and automount points and implements an elaborate transactional dependency-based service control logic. It can work as a drop-in replacement for sysvinit.

Installation

Tollef packaged a very first systemd package as (0~git+20100605+dfd8ee-1) and pushed it to experimental. Currently v11 is in the official repositories and v12 is on its road. systemd requires dbus from upstream, means you need dbus >=1.4.0, which can also be found in experimental. You have to enhance your sources.list and add experimental Distribution.

To install systemd (and dbus) from experimental:

# apt-get update
# apt-get install -t experimental dbus systemd

Known Issues and Workarounds

  • Issue #1: sysvinit vs. systemd-sysv

As sysvinit is default System-V-like init-system and has "Essential flag" set, it will always be preferred on upgrades. For more Details see chapters "3.8 Essential packages" and "5.6.9 Essential"

Workaround #1: Do not install systemd-sysv, enhance grub-line (Kernel command line) by "init=/bin/systemd". For a grub2 persistent solution (requires an update-grub to refresh /boot/grub/grub.cfg):

# $EDITOR /etc/default/grub
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet init=/bin/systemd" <--- Change this line

# update-grub

Workaround #2: Install systemd-sysv and put package "on hold" ("ugly" solution). Note: systemd-sysv replaces sysvinit package and changes symlink like "/sbin/init -> /bin/systemd".

The problem with "Essential flag" needs some discussion with the sysvinit maintainer.

  • Issue #2: agetty vs. getty

util-linux-ng has /sbin/agetty, Debian has renamed agetty to getty in its util-linux package (will be fixed for wheezy by Debian maintainer)

  • Issue #3: libnotify-0.7

Upstream systemd >=v12 requires libnotify 0.7 - this needs a revert as it is not available in Debian yet

Use native mount

With v12 you can use native (means systemd's) mount by activating it in /etc/systemd/system.conf.

# egrep 'MountAuto|SwapAuto' /etc/systemd/system.conf
Output:
MountAuto=yes
SwapAuto=yes

Who is who?

Maintainer of the systemd package is Tollef Fog Heen (Mithrandir). Currently, it's discussed to get Michael Biebl (mbiebl) as co-maintainer.

Where to get help?

As systemd is a very young project (see [1]), we would appreciate to use the exisiting upstream infrastructure like mailing-list [2], IRC and read Lennart's blog [3], etc. for following the development. Most people interested in systemd development (from diverse distributions) and Debian-specific packaging are around on IRC: #systemd (irc.freenode.net). Anyway, Debian-specific bugs should be sent to Debian-BTS (for example use report-bug tool).

[1] http://0pointer.de/blog/projects/systemd.html

[2] http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/systemd-devel

[3] http://0pointer.de/blog/

Known Bugs and Bug Tracking Systems

Future plans

  • Be more user-friendly: For example setup a #debian-systemd IRC channel on OFTC (with v12 release?)
  • Announcement to the Debian mailing-lists: 1. Inform there is sth. awesome 2. Join the systemd party (use it and report, contribute to packaging or even upstream)
  • Fullfill "visions" as described in the presentation of Michael at LPC-2010 (see Ressources)

Ressources