systemd module silently fails to enable generated serviced unit about ansible HOT 9 OPEN

Files identified in the description:

• lib/ansible/modules/systemd.py

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from ansible.

@tux-o-matic ansible-core 2.14 is not supported and no longer receives bug fixes. Please test against one of the supported versions of ansible-core, preferably the most recent one, to see whether the bug has been fixed.

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from ansible.

Problem is still present in newer Ansible.

ansible [core 2.17.0]
  config file = None
  configured module search path = ['/Users/xxx/.ansible/plugins/modules', '/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /Users/xxx/Library/Python/3.11/lib/python/site-packages/ansible
  ansible collection location = /Users/xxx/.ansible/collections:/usr/share/ansible/collections
  executable location = /Users/xxx/Library/Python/3.11/bin/ansible
  python version = 3.11.9 (main, Apr  4 2024, 13:30:03) [Clang 15.0.0 (clang-1500.3.9.4)] (/Users/xxx/macports/bin/python3.11)
  jinja version = 3.1.2
  libyaml = True

from ansible.

The generator issue is not the same as the service itself, the service is running and enabled, the generator error seems to be an aside. As such the module is reporting correctly about the service itself, since the generator failure does not seem to affect it directly, i believe the status shown is correct. The action is scoped towards managing the services themselves, not generators, not timers, nor anything else.

I'm not against adding this information as a warning, which seems to be what systemd is doing. But, I don't know if the way we interface with systemd even produces this output.

from ansible.

If I list the enabled services in systemd, the services created via generators and “enabled” in Ansible do not show up. So Ansible says one thing but the target host gives no proof that the service is enabled.

The RHEL documentation for Podman and systemd mentions that the generated unit file needs to be copied to /etc/systemd/system in order to enable the service.

from ansible.

generators are not services, they are helpers, mostly there to get the prerequisites for services, like mounting drives.

from ansible.

@bcoca, the issue isn't so much about generators but about Ansible not reporting an error and giving an incorrect feedback about the state of a systemd service. Yes in the case the systemd unit file was produced by a generator but if systemctl says something, Ansible should say the same thing.

from ansible.

So, our is-enabled check takes generated and transient as 'valid enabled state', this will result in an 'OK' as there is no need to change to enable such service. The module never gets to the point of trying to enable a generated service, this seems correct behavior.

            valid_enabled_states = [
                "enabled",
                "enabled-runtime",
                "linked",
                "linked-runtime",
                "masked",
                "masked-runtime",
                "static",
                "indirect",
                "disabled",
                "generated",
                "transient"]

from ansible.

It seems somebody also asked to have that aspect clarified on systemd.
Having for example:

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target default.target

Will lead generator to create a symlink in /run/systemd/generator/default.target.wants/.

But that is not reflected in generated and generated doesn't guarantee that a link workaround was implemented.

from ansible.