Bug#1114860: systemd: Confusing error message about missing "/etc/machine-id" upon setup

[Hilmar Preusse]

Package: systemd
Version: 258~rc4-1
Severity: minor

Dear Maintainer,

recently I noticed that setting up systemd failed to setup in one of my
chroots. The error message was:

<snip>
root at rasppi3:~# apt build-dep texlive-bin
Summary:
  Upgrading: 0, Installing: 0, Removing: 0, Not Upgrading: 0
  4 not fully installed or removed.
  Space needed: 0 B / 58.3 GB available

Continue? [Y/n] y
Error: Can not write log (Is /dev/pts mounted?) - posix_openpt (19: No such device)
Setting up systemd (258~rc4-1) ...
Cannot open '/etc/machine-id' in neither writable nor read-only mode: Function not implemented
dpkg: error processing package systemd (--configure):
 installed systemd package post-installation script subprocess returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 systemd
Error: Sub-process /usr/libexec/apt-eatmydata/dpkg returned an error code (1)
Error: Failed to process build dependencies
<snip>

The root cause turned out to be a not mounted /proc filesystem, the setup
worked fine after it was mounted. However I found that error message quite
confusing: the file /etc/machine-id is there and is readable.

Hilnar

-- Package-specific info:

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 13.1
  APT prefers stable-updates
  APT policy: (500, 'stable-updates'), (500, 'stable-security'), (500, 'stable')
Architecture: arm64 (aarch64)
Foreign Architectures: armhf

Kernel: Linux 6.12.34+rpt-rpi-2712 (SMP w/4 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages systemd depends on:
ii  libacl1            2.3.2-2+b1
ii  libapparmor1       4.1.0-1
ii  libc6              2.41-12+rpt1
ii  libmount1          2.41-5
ii  libpam0g           1.7.0-5
ii  libseccomp2        2.6.0-2
ii  libselinux1        3.8.1-1
ii  libssl3t64         3.5.1-1+~rpt1
ii  libsystemd-shared  257.8-1~deb13u1
ii  libsystemd0        257.8-1~deb13u1
ii  mount              2.41-5

Versions of packages systemd recommends:
ii  dbus [default-dbus-system-bus]   1.16.2-2
pn  linux-sysctl-defaults            <none>
pn  systemd-cryptsetup               <none>
ii  systemd-timesyncd [time-daemon]  257.8-1~deb13u1

Versions of packages systemd suggests:
pn  libtss2-tcti-device0  <none>
ii  polkitd               126-2
pn  systemd-boot          <none>
pn  systemd-container     <none>
pn  systemd-homed         <none>
pn  systemd-repart        <none>
pn  systemd-resolved      <none>
pn  systemd-userdbd       <none>

Versions of packages systemd is related to:
ii  dbus-user-session  1.16.2-2
pn  dracut             <none>
ii  initramfs-tools    0.148.3+rpt2
pn  libnss-systemd     <none>
ii  libpam-systemd     257.8-1~deb13u1
ii  udev               257.8-1~deb13u1

-- no debconf information
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