[SOLVED] motion install on raspberry pi Raspberry Pi Model B Rev 2: logging issue; howto solve?

Hello,
since my raspberry SD boot card was dead, I am reinstalling raspbian on it for making running the home observation video again.
So far achieved:
- raspberry reachable via ssh
- motion installed

uname -r

5.10.63+

parameter in /etc/motion/motion.conf
..
log_file /var/log/motion/motion.log
..

now..
sudo service motion restart

Message from syslogd@raspcamera at Nov 23 21:29:02 ...
 motion[928]: [0:motion] [EMG] [ALL] motion_startup: Exit motion, cannot create log file /var/log/motion/motion.log: Permission denied

Broadcast message from systemd-journald@raspcamera (Tue 2021-11-23 21:29:02 CET):

motion[928]: [0:motion] [EMG] [ALL] motion_startup: Exit motion, cannot create log file /var/log/motion/motion.log: Permission denied

following did not help:
(file created with
sudo mkdir motion
sudo chown root:motion motion
sudo touch /var/log/motion/motion.log
sudo chown root:motion /var/log/motion/motion.log
)

sudo chmod 666 /var/log/motion/motion.log
sudo ls -l /var/log/motion/motion.log

-rw-rw-rw- 1 root motion 0 23. Nov 21:19 /var/log/motion/motion.log

Any suggestion/advice/comment is welcome.

Originally Posted by floppy_stuttgart cannot create log file /var/log/motion/motion.log: Permission denied

Just looking at the error, something is wrong with the permissions. The 'sudo' should overcome it, but obviously is not doing it. The first thing I'd try is

sudo chmod 4755 /path/to/motion_executable

Also, I'd run a check on the log file.

first: done. issue still there. See at bottom.

second: "I'd run a check on the log file." this?..
sudo ls -l /var/log/motion/motion.log

-rw-rw-rw- 1 motion motion 0 23. Nov 21:19 /var/log/motion/motion.log

sudo ls -l /bin/motion
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 315668 15. Nov 2020 /bin/motion
sudo chmod 4755 /bin/motion
sudo ls -l /bin/motion
-rwsr-xr-x 1 root root 315668 15. Nov 2020 /bin/motion

sudo service motion restart

Message from syslogd@raspcamera at Nov 24 12:29:50 ...
 motion[1782]: [0:motion] [EMG] [ALL] motion_startup: Exit motion, cannot create log file /var/log/motion/motion.log: Permission denied

Broadcast message from systemd-journald@raspcamera (Wed 2021-11-24 12:29:50 CET):

motion[1782]: [0:motion] [EMG] [ALL] motion_startup: Exit motion, cannot create log file /var/log/motion/motion.log: Permission denied

You don't need me to say, but that all looks good.

sudo service motion restart

That's a systemd script, at a guess. Better grok that.

I'd also touch the log file, or otherwise write to it, to check that's possible. lastly, have you just run the moition file directly?

error gone after

sudo mkdir /tmp/motion sudo chown motion:motion /tmp/motion sudo touch /tmp/motion/motion.log sudo chown motion:motion /tmp/motion/motion.log

and putting "log_file /tmp/motion/motion.log" in

/etc/motion/motion.conf

sudo service motion restart

Motion must be dropping it's privileges. Glad you sorted it. Mark this solved.

Originally Posted by floppy_stuttgart error gone after and putting "log_file /tmp/motion/motion.log" in

Depending on how your distro handles the /tmp that has the possibility of disappearing on reboot, if it cleans the /tmp by default. Since you mention Pi that is most likely Debian based and that definitely cleans it, I always put my temporary stuff there I care little about sticking around on the system if I forget to delete them, just so they will be deleted.

https://serverfault.com/questions/37...mp-get-cleared