Bug#1133069: systemd-standalone-sysusers: Failed to read 'basic.conf': No such file or directory

[Luca Boccassi]

On Thu, 09 Apr 2026 19:18:49 +0200 Philipp Matthias Hahn
<pmhahn at debian.org> wrote:
> Package: systemd-standalone-sysusers
> Version: 260.1-1
> Severity: important
> X-Debbugs-Cc: debian-ssh at lists.debian.org
>
> Dear fellow Maintainer,
>
> I'm trying to install `openssh-client` inside a Docker container, which
> depends on 'systemd | systemd-standalone-sysusers | systemd-sysusers'.
>
> 1. `systemd` fails to configue with
> > Setting up systemd (260.1-1) ...
> > Created symlink '/etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/remote-fs.target' → '/usr/lib/systemd/system/remote-fs.target'.
> > Created symlink '/etc/systemd/system/sysinit.target.wants/systemd-pstore.service' → '/usr/lib/systemd/system/systemd-pstore.service'.
> > Created symlink '/etc/systemd/system/getty.target.wants/getty at tty1.service' → '/usr/lib/systemd/system/getty at .service'.
> > Failed to enable units: Protocol driver not attached.
> > Cannot open '/etc/machine-id': Protocol driver not attached
> > dpkg: error processing package systemd (--configure):
> >  old systemd package postinst maintainer script subprocess failed with exit status 1
> …
> > dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of openssh-client:
> >  openssh-client depends on systemd | systemd-standalone-sysusers | systemd-sysusers; however:
> >   Package systemd is not configured yet.
> >   Package systemd-standalone-sysusers is not installed.
> >   Package systemd-sysusers is not installed.
> >   Package systemd which provides systemd-sysusers is not configured yet.
> >
> > dpkg: error processing package openssh-client (--configure):
> >  dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
>
> 2. `systemd-standalone-sysusers` fails with
> > Setting up systemd-standalone-sysusers (260.1-1) ...
> > Failed to read 'basic.conf': No such file or directory
> > dpkg: error processing package systemd-standalone-sysusers (--configure):
> >  old systemd-standalone-sysusers package postinst maintainer script subprocess failed with exit status 1
>
> 3. With `opensysusers` providing `systemd-sysuers` it also fails with
> > Setting up openssh-client (1:10.2p1-6) ...
> > groupadd: invalid group ID ''
> > chgrp: invalid group: '_ssh'
> > dpkg: error processing package openssh-client (--configure):
> >  old openssh-client package postinst maintainer script subprocess failed with exit status 1
>
>
> This is about 2.
> `basic.conf` is part of the package `systemd`:
> $ dpkg -S basic.conf
> systemd: /usr/lib/sysusers.d/basic.conf

No, it's also in the standalone package:

https://packages.debian.org/sid/amd64/systemd-standalone-sysusers/filelist

does it get unpacked before failing? Do you see the basic.conf file on
the filesystem?