Impossible to enable parameterized/templated systemd services

[uvsmtid]

Example

The following state file for parameterized/templated openvpn service will fail with systemd:

openvpn:
    service.running:
        - name: [email protected]
        - enable: True

Service openvpn is parameterized/templated, and its unit file name [email protected] is different from instantiated service names like [email protected]:

systemctl enable [email protected]

Because Salt lists unit files before running any systemd command to manage services, it will report this problem:

[INFO    ] Executing command 'systemctl --full list-unit-files | col -b' in directory '/root'
[ERROR   ] The named service [email protected] is not available

Versions

Fedora 19 x86_64

salt --versions-report
           Salt: 0.17.1
         Python: 2.7.5 (default, Oct  8 2013, 12:19:40)
         Jinja2: 2.6
       M2Crypto: 0.21.1
 msgpack-python: 0.1.13
   msgpack-pure: Not Installed
       pycrypto: 2.6.1
         PyYAML: 3.10
          PyZMQ: 13.0.0
            ZMQ: 3.2.4

rpm -qf /bin/systemd
systemd-204-17.fc19.x86_64

See Also

The following issues seem related:

• Ability to enable/disable and start/stop templated systemd service units... #2191
• Use systemctl list-unit-files for finding systemd units. #1908

Links:

• https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/salt-users/systemd/salt-users/Ll9NagwXIsk/WKBIUVCOYFkJ

Workaround

For basic service management (enable/disable, start/stop) explicit systemctl commands can be used:

...
openvpn_enable:
    cmd.run:
        - name: "systemctl enable [email protected]"
        - require:
            - pkg: openvpn
            - file: /etc/openvpn/example.com.conf
            ...

openvpn_start:
    cmd.run:
        - name: "systemctl start [email protected]"
        - require:
            - cmd: openvpn_enable
...

[uvsmtid]

I believe Salt should take optimistic approach and try to call systemctl enable for such parameterized/templated services regardless of any evidence that such service may be configured.

To give some protection and analytical output in the logs, before running the systemctl command, Salt may ensure that [email protected] unit file actually exists when it sees @ sign in strings like [email protected].

[basepi]

Wow, sorry we took so long to respond to this one! Somehow I missed it in my normal issue triage routine.

Looks like this is a pretty reasonable fix, we'll get it in! Thanks!