Cannot start dinit as user

[root2185]

I am on Artix with dinit as init.

Kernel: 6.3.1-artix1-1 
Arch: x86_64
Distro: Artix Linux

I made the files in my home:

cat ~/.config/dinit.d/boot
type = internal
waits-for.d = boot.d

If I try to start dinit:

dinit
dinit: In multiple cgroups, cannot determine cgroup root path
dinit: Control socket is already active (another instance already running?)

I am using root as my user, can I use dinit for user services if I am root?

[davmac314]

You can use dinit for user services as root. From the manual page:

       -s, --system
              Run as the system service manager.  This is the default if
              invoked as the root user.  This option affects the default
              service definition directory and control socket path.

and

       -u, --user
              Run as a user service manager.  This is the opposite of
              --system, and is the default if not invoked as the root user.

I hope that makes it clear. You need to use -u for a user instance if running as root.

[root2185]

I tried without quoting it before then that, since I couldn't use dinitctl -u.

dctl status dinit.user
Service: dinit.user
    State: STARTED
    Activation: explicitly started
    Process ID: 10384

2. Process is running and pid matches.
3. Dinit log? Where is it?
4. Service log:

[STOPPD] boot
dinit: In multiple cgroups, cannot determine cgroup root path
dinit: picom: execution failed - setting up standard input/output descriptors: No such file or directory
[FAILED] picom
dinit: pipewire.user: execution failed - setting up standard input/output descriptors: No such file or directory
[FAILED] pipewire.user
[FAILED] wireplumber.user
[FAILED] pipewire-pulse.user
[  OK  ] boot

Those are the user services in ~/.config/dinit.d/boot.d/.

If I try to check something:

dinitctl -u list
dinit-client: connecting to socket /run/user/0/dinitctl: No such file or directory

[davmac314]

I tried without quoting it before then that, since I couldn't use dinitctl -u

Ok but as I say, with quoting around the whole thing it definitely won't run anything ("dinit -u" is not the name of the executable) and the service would show as failed.

I think the problem you have now is that dinit and dinitctl are using different locations for the control socket. That's because in user instances the XDG_RUNTIME_DIR environment variable is used to locate the socket. However, XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is associated with your login session (it is set up by elogind) and since you are running dinit (user instance) directly as a service from the system instance, it is not in the login session and does not have XDG_RUNTIME_DIR set, nor will the directory it refers to (/run/user/0) exist at that time.

You could use the -p argument to dinitctl to specify the control socket location, it should default to /root/.dinitctl assuming that the home directory of root is /root. Eg:

/root/dinitctl -u -p /root/.dinitctl list

However you may well run into other issues with this setup, since any services that you run from the user instance of dinit will also not be in the login session. There's a discussion of that here: #183

As noted there, the best solution is probably to start the user instance of dinit via your .profile file for example so that it runs once you log in. Another option is to user dinit-userservd/turnstile.

Finally, it looks like some of your services (picom, pipewire) are failing because the log directory specified does not exist when the services are started.

[root2185]

I am starting dinit from bspwm autostart and it works fine.
dinit-userservd doesn't work.
Does turnstile work on Artix? chimera-linux/turnstile#6

Finally, it looks like some of your services (picom, pipewire) are failing because the log directory specified does not exist when the services are started.

The log directories exist, when the control socket it's set correctly those services work fine.

[davmac314]

Does turnstile work on Artix?

I have no experience with turnstile, sorry.

The log directories exist, when the control socket it's set correctly those services work fine.

They may exist now that you are starting dinit from the login session (via bspwm), but at the time dinit was starting earlier, they did not exist. That's why you get that particular message:

dinit: picom: execution failed - setting up standard input/output descriptors: No such file or directory

[root2185]

My CPU usage problem was caused by this app https://github.com/thomas10-10/foo-Wallpaper-Feh-Gif.

They may exist now that you are starting dinit from the login session (via bspwm), but at the time dinit was starting earlier, they did not exist. That's why you get that particular message:

I deleted the log /var/log/dinit/user-suite.log and I started the dinit.user service again, the log is as before.

Is suggested to start dbus with dinit?
Because it doesn't work well as using exec dbus-launch --exit-with-session in the launcher.
I can't use epiphany, as when I wasn't starting dbus.

[davmac314]

If by same as before you mean it still contains:

dinit: picom: execution failed - setting up standard input/output descriptors: No such file or directory
dinit: pipewire.user: execution failed - setting up standard input/output descriptors: No such file or directory

Then it is these user services which specify an invalid / nonexistent log directory.

Is suggested to start dbus with dinit?

I have not yet tried to set this up myself, but there are details in this post on the Artix forums:
https://forum.artixlinux.org/index.php/topic,3268.0.html

[root2185]

I removed the enviroment variable, no more error about that.
But it's like dinit user instance it is not started:

dinitctl status dinit.user
Service: dinit.user
    State: STARTED
    Activation: explicitly started
    Process ID: 10828

dinitctl -u list
dinit-client: connecting to socket /run/user/0/dinitctl: No such file or directory

[davmac314]

See above:

I think the problem you have now is that dinit and dinitctl are using different locations for the control socket. That's because in user instances the XDG_RUNTIME_DIR environment variable is used to locate the socket. However, XDG_RUNTIME_DIR is associated with your login session (it is set up by elogind) and since you are running dinit (user instance) directly as a service from the system instance, it is not in the login session and does not have XDG_RUNTIME_DIR set, nor will the directory it refers to (/run/user/0) exist at that time.

etc.

[root2185]

Right, should I open an issue about that?

Running dinit -u in the autostart looks good.

[davmac314]

Right, should I open an issue about that?

As far as I'm concerned it's working as intended. The "fix" is not to run your user instance of dinit directly from the system instance, instead, make sure it's run inside the login session.

Running dinit -u in the autostart looks good.

Not sure what you mean by the autostart but if it works, then great.

[root2185]

Not sure what you mean by the autostart but if it works, then great.

I mean the ~/.config/bspwm/bspwmrc file, it is executed when the session starts.