What does a failure message about Apply Kernel Variables mean?

asked 2014-04-11 15:30:18 -0600

phil707
36 ●4 ●4 ●12

updated 2014-04-11 20:47:11 -0600

5021 ●12 ●45 ●82 http://blog.randomuser...

I recently noticed that there are some messages that flash on the screen at the beginning of the boot process for my newly installed Fedora 20. They disappear before I can read a word, although I think I saw the word "cache". I looked in boot.log and found one "Failure" involving "Apply Kernel Variables". It suggested using "systemctl status systemd-sysctl.service", whose output included:

Apr 11 12:43:25 localhost.localdomain systemd[1]: systemd-sysctl.service: main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
Apr 11 12:43:25 localhost.localdomain systemd[1]: Failed to start Apply Kernel Variables.
Apr 11 12:43:25 localhost.localdomain systemd[1]: Unit systemd-sysctl.service entered failed state

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It seems unrelated, but I continue to have the previously reported problem "authenticate dialog rejects root password", too. (Someone should tell me how to turn that reference into a link.)

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Okay, @randomuser, how did you put "systemctl" output into a box and restore the line structure? The "Ask Fedora Help" screen does not explain these little formatting tools. Trial and error works eventually, but it is kind of slow.

phil707 ( 2014-04-11 21:49:14 -0600 )edit

@phil707 - there has been a request for a link to markdown documentation at askbot http://askbot.org/en/question/10225/request-link-to-full-markdown-documentation/ and a discussion at https://ask.fedoraproject.org/en/question/7947/markdown-considered-harmful/ - seems without effect. You need to indent the lines in order to render them as commands. As for "Apply Kernel Variables" - that's probably https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1084829

marcindulak ( 2014-04-12 10:22:37 -0600 )edit

@phil707 - there are some buttons above the editing window, I highlighted the test and clicked one.

randomuser ( 2014-04-12 11:16:52 -0600 )edit

I reported such incident in RH's Bugzilla, for I tried to do a systemct restart systemd-sysctl and it yielded a SELinux AVC.

fidelleon ( 2014-04-12 15:05:52 -0600 )edit

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answered 2014-04-12 14:17:31 -0600

phil707
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I would promote @marcindulak's comment to the question to be an "Answer" if I knew how. The Bugzilla report convinces me that this is a known bug involving SeLinux and that the fix is in the pipeline. (Although what "Apply Kernel Variables" does is still a mystery.)

The same comment also reveals that my "request" for better documentation for using Ask Fedora in my initial comment on the question is also being addressed. Many thanks.

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I confirm that the "Apply Kernel Variables" failure has disappeared as of kernel 3.13.10-200. I have also, after 12 attempts with a digital camera, captured the mystery messages that flash on the screen at the beginning of bootup. They involve "No Caching mode page found" on my external hard drive, which may be due to its being formatted for Windows. Access to that hard drive is fine (both Read and Write) after boot.

phil707 ( 2014-04-23 18:03:03 -0600 )edit

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answered 2015-02-02 17:36:30 -0600

ctubbsii
1

I saw this failure in 3.18.3-201.fc21.x86_64; all I did to fix it was to run sudo touch /.autorelabel and reboot.