[SOLVED] Networking.service fails to start after setting up interfaces in initramfs

jesusangel · 11-27-2019, 11:44 AM

Hello,

I need to setup network in initramfs so I've set up kernel command line as follows:

Code:

linux   /vmlinuz-5.2.0-0.bpo.3-amd64 root=UUID=40d729d8-b87e-455f-a7a5-2520be1ca65a ro  quiet systemd.show_status=1 acpi=force net.ifnames=0 biosdevname=0 apparmor=1 security=apparmor rd.luks.name=32c764bd-9612-4bd0-9d0f-cda3d0a3595d=root rd.luks.options=timeout=60s rd.neednet=1 ip=10.0.0.118::10.0.0.102:255.255.255.0:lunada:eth1:none:10.0.0.103:10.0.0.104

When the kernel is loaded and the system starts, the networking service failed:

Code:

systemctl status networking
● networking.service - Raise network interfaces
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/networking.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Wed 2019-11-27 18:09:04 CET; 6min ago
     Docs: man:interfaces(5)
  Process: 867 ExecStart=/sbin/ifup -a --read-environment (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)
 Main PID: 867 (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Nov 27 18:09:03 lunada systemd[1]: Starting Raise network interfaces...
Nov 27 18:09:03 lunada ifup[867]: RTNETLINK answers: File exists
Nov 27 18:09:03 lunada ifup[867]: ifup: failed to bring up eth0
Nov 27 18:09:04 lunada systemd[1]: networking.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Nov 27 18:09:04 lunada systemd[1]: networking.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
Nov 27 18:09:04 lunada systemd[1]: Failed to start Raise network interfaces.

Although I just setup eth1 interface in the initramfs, it seems that the interface eth0 is already up and because of that the networking service fails.

I've added a script to bring down the interfaces in the pre-up stage:

Code:

cat /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/clean
#!/bin/bash

if [[ $IFACE =~ ^eth[0-1]$ ]]
then
        ifconfig $IFACE down
        ip addr flush dev $IFACE
fi

But it isn't working. Nevertheless, if I restart the networking service after the system boots, it works like a charm:

Code:

# systemctl restart networking
systemctl status networking
● networking.service - Raise network interfaces
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/networking.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
   Active: active (exited) since Wed 2019-11-27 18:40:32 CET; 4s ago
     Docs: man:interfaces(5)
  Process: 2948 ExecStart=/sbin/ifup -a --read-environment (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 2948 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)

Nov 27 18:40:32 lunada systemd[1]: Starting Raise network interfaces...
Nov 27 18:40:32 lunada systemd[1]: Started Raise network interfaces.

How can I fix the systemd networking.service to initialize the network interfaces?

I'm using Debian Buster.

Kind regards,

ondoho · 11-28-2019, 02:22 AM

Not saying I know how to solve this, but...
- initramfs does not seem to come into it afaics?
- have you tried the ifup command manually (see systemctl status networking)? What's it say?
- is something like a script in /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/ even relevant on a current systemd distro? Honest question.

jesusangel · 11-28-2019, 05:22 AM

Hello,

The point is, if I delete the ip option in the kernel command line, the network interface isn't activated in the initramfs and the networking service does start correctly. Nevertheless, I need the network up in the initramfs because I'm using clevis to open the root filesystem which is encrypted with LUKS.

I haven't tried to run the ifup command manually but if I do a systemctl restart networking the service works, so I think the "/sbin/ifup -a --read-environment" will also works as it's basically what the service does.

With regard to the last question, I don't know. In debian the ifup command searchs for the interfaces in the file /etc/network/interfaces. According to intefaces(5) "when ifupdown is being called with the --all option, before doing anything to interfaces, if calls all the hook scripts (pre-up or down)". I though I could bring down the interfaces in case they were bringed up before. I tried the pre-up option in the /etc/network/interfaces but then decided to move to the /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/clean script. Sadly, none of these have worked.

Kind regards,

jesusangel · 12-12-2019, 04:27 AM

Hello,

I have solved this issue. The problem wasn't about the eth0 interface itself, but about the default gateway. In the ramfs I was setting a default gateway for eth1 interface, and in the interfaces configuration I was also setting another default gateway for the eth0 one. Before bringing up eth0 I was bringing it down, but I wasn't deleting the default gateway, so when ifup tried to set another default route, it failed.

I have removed the gateway from the network config in the kernel command line so now there is not a default gateway when the networking service starts, and it runs well.

Hope this will help someone out there.

Kind regards,