📖 ~1 min read
Table of contents
Symptom & Impact
Critical service shows `failed` after reboot, causing application downtime or incomplete platform startup.
Environment & Reproduction
After package upgrades, custom unit edits, dependency changes, or SELinux context drift on service files.
Root Cause Analysis
Invalid unit syntax, missing binary, incorrect `After=` dependencies, or SELinux denial preventing execution.
Quick Triage
Run `systemctl status `, `systemctl cat `, and verify file paths and permissions.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis
Use `journalctl -u -b`, `systemd-analyze verify /etc/systemd/system/.service`, and `ausearch -m avc -ts recent`.
Solution – Primary Fix
Unit loads cleanly, dependency graph resolves, and logs show successful transition to active state.
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Solution – Alternative Approaches
Fix unit file, run `systemctl daemon-reload`, restore SELinux contexts with `restorecon`, and restart service.
Verification & Acceptance Criteria
Confirm `systemctl is-active ` returns `active`; reboot once and verify persistent healthy start.
Rollback Plan
Revert to prior known-good unit from version control and restart service to restore baseline behavior.
Prevention & Hardening
Store units in git, enforce CI linting for systemd files, and alert on service startup failures.
Related Errors & Cross-Refs
`systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl restart && systemctl –no-pager status `
Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for rhel-8.
View all rhel-8 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →
Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.
References & Further Reading
`man systemctl`, `man systemd.service`, and Red Hat docs on diagnosing boot-time service failures.
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