Resolved (without understanding ;-) (was: Re: Error while trying to install openssh-server on Buster)
On Wednesday, July 22, 2020 7:08:40 AM EDT Andrew Cater wrote:
> It should "just work" - if you can "ssh localhost" - the server is running.
Thanks for the reply. The problem is solved, and I'll mention the solution
here with maybe more details in replies to Greg Wooledge and/or Jonathan
Dowland.
The basic solution involved stopping gparted (I don't know why, but google
found a page that described the same problem I had and the page said it
occurred with gparted running and went away with gparted stopped.
Anyway, what I wanted to say here is that it did not "just work" while I had
that _.mount error, but I probably should have quoted a little more of the
output from apt-get install before I stopped gparted. Here it is
<quote>
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/ssh.service → /
lib/systemd/system/ssh.service.
rescue-ssh.target is a disabled or a static unit, not starting it.
Failed to start ssh.service: Unit -.mount is masked.
invoke-rc.d: initscript ssh, action "start" failed.
● ssh.service - OpenBSD Secure Shell server
Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/ssh.service; enabled; vendor preset:
enabled)
Active: inactive (dead)
Docs: man:sshd(8)
man:sshd_config(5)
dpkg: error processing package openssh-server (--configure):
installed openssh-server package post-installation script subprocess returned
error exit status 1
Processing triggers for man-db (2.8.5-2) ...
Processing triggers for systemd (241-7~deb10u4) ...
Errors were encountered while processing:
openssh-server
Error: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.systemd1.UnitMasked: Unit -.mount is
masked.
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
</quote>
After shutting down gparted, I ran apt-get install openssh-server again, and
did not get the message about _.mount being masked, and openssh-server is now
running. (With a slight problem which I'll look into (I can't ssh in as root
-- but I assume I can find that problem -- I suspect something is preventing
remote logins by root -- I know I've seen an option or such to do that, so I
think I just have to find it again).)
Hmm, I wrote enough here that I might as well try to finish the story, with
what I might have written to Greg and/or Johnathan, which is basically the
following:
It's peachy that the problem is gone, but I really don't understand anything
about what the problem was or why shutting down gparted solved it.
I may (or may not) spend a little time digging into it (starting with finding
out what a unit is in systemd, and does that somehow relate to a mount point,
maybe in root, or if not, what specifically does -.mount refer to, and why it
has to use a - (in fact, a double -) instead of a /). And I will rant, just a
little bit ;-)
Slight rant (something to ignore): I mean, it is frustrating that I now have
to learn something new to do the same things I used to be able to do without
learning that new thing. (The new thing being systemd. I might consider
switching to a distro that does not use systemd, but I suppose that is just
burying my head in the sand.)
>
> On Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 2:06 AM rhkramer <rhkramer.s32@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I get this error when trying to apt-get install openssh-server on my (up
> > to
> > date) Buster system:
> >
> > Error: GDBus.Error:org.freedesktop.systemd1.UnitMasked: Unit -.mount is
> > masked.
> >
> > I tried (based on the reference below):
> >
> > root@s32:/# systemctl unmask org.freedesktop.systemd1.UnitMasked
> > Unit org.freedesktop.systemd1.UnitMasked.service does not exist,
> > proceeding
> > anyway.
> >
> > I don't really have a clue. One googled page suggests
> >
> > <quote>
> > Situation
> >
> > Checking the status of a service shows it is masked.
> >
> > Running systemctl unmask <unit file> doesn't change the status.
> >
> >
> > Resolution
> > The systemd unit file is empty. Replace it in /usr/lib/systemd/system by
> > reinstalling the package in which the unit file was contained.
> > </quote>
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