[SOLVED] filesystem was unmounted, but failed to update userspace mount table.

RandomTroll · 11-05-2019, 04:25 PM

Code:

 umount /usb2

returns:

Quote:

umount: /usb2: filesystem was unmounted, but failed to update userspace mount table.

for a USB drive that seems to be okay otherwise. I successfully wrote to the drive before this occurred.

Later: I built kernel 5.3.9 then re-booted. During shutdown I got this same error for everything, even shm and devtmpfs. I don't know how to make sense of this.

teckk · 11-06-2019, 10:35 AM

Is that /usb2 or should that be ~/usb2. Is that a dir under root or home?

I don't know. Show output of df -h and mount
Also your fstab. Maybe someone will see something.

RandomTroll · 11-06-2019, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckk

Is that /usb2 or should that be ~/usb2. Is that a dir under root or home?

No.

Quote:

Originally Posted by teckk

I don't know. Show output of df -h and mount
Also your fstab. Maybe someone will see something.

df and mount don't list /usb. fstab is irrelevant. When I have this problem, an orphan mtab entry sometimes persists, but clearing it makes no difference. Rebooting cleared it, but it's popped up a few times in the past. I had assumed it was a hardware problem, but when it happens to virtual filesystems - I don't know how to make sense of that.

hoes · 11-07-2019, 03:30 PM

Just a few thing that I would consider if I were in your shoes:
It is not some permission issue?
No extra clues in the system log?
Is SELinux set to enforcing?

RandomTroll · 11-08-2019, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoes

It is not some permission issue?

How could it be? I run as root when I do this. What permissions?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoes

No extra clues in the system log?

None.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoes

Is SELinux set to enforcing?

I don't use SELinux.

hoes · 11-08-2019, 04:53 PM

Found some source that links to your error:
https://github.com/karelzak/util-lin..._mount.c#L1684

RandomTroll · 11-10-2019, 10:19 PM

Thanks. It's in libmount. The error is consistent with mtab not getting updated; it'd be nice if the error reported that, rather than 'userspace mount table'. It also would explain why the same error can happen to virtual file systems. The underlying problem seems to be a problem with my disk, one that doesn't show up on e2fsck.