Problems with acpiphp kernel module in 4.4.0-79-generic #100-Ubuntu SMP

[Kamal Mostafa]

On Wed, Jun 14, 2017 at 10:43:53AM +0200, Peter Dyballa wrote:
> Hello!
> 
> We are running the servers in AWS. The journal contains reports like:
> 
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd-journald[298]: Journal started
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd-modules-load[288]: Failed to find module 'acpiphp'
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 loadkeys[279]: Loading /etc/console-setup/cached.kmap.gz
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: Started Uncomplicated firewall.
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: Started Set console keymap.
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: systemd-modules-load.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=1/FAILURE
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: Failed to start Load Kernel Modules.
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: systemd-modules-load.service: Unit entered failed state.
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: systemd-modules-load.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
> 	Jun 14 08:08:30 int-tc1 systemd[1]: Started Create list of required static device nodes for the current kernel.
> 
> The cause seems to be a kernel change from #99 to #100 which deleted the acpiphp.o and acpiphp_ibm.o kernel modules. Presumingly /usr/src/linux-headers-4.4.0-79/drivers/pci/hotplug/Makefile needs to be changed too for next kernel release.
> 

Hi Peter-

Thanks for reporting this -- but I'm not seeing that problem with 4.4.0-79.100
nor do I see any change since 78.99 that would account for it.  In #100 and
#99, acpiphp is built-in to the kernel and acpiphp_ibm is a loadable module:

    ubuntu at ip-172-31-26-85:~$ uname -a
    Linux ip-172-31-26-85 4.4.0-79-generic #100-Ubuntu SMP Wed May 17 19:58:14 UTC 2017 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

    ubuntu at ip-172-31-26-85:~$ grep 'systemd-modules-load.*Failed' /var/log/syslog
    (nothing)

    ubuntu at ip-172-31-26-85:~$ modinfo acpiphp_ibm
    filename:       /lib/modules/4.4.0-79-generic/kernel/drivers/pci/hotplug/acpiphp_ibm.ko
    version:        1.0.1
    ...

    (note: 'modinfo acpiphp' cannot work since its built-in).

    ubuntu at ip-172-31-26-85:~$ find /lib/modules -name 'acpiphp*'
    /lib/modules/4.4.0-78-generic/kernel/drivers/pci/hotplug/acpiphp_ibm.ko
    /lib/modules/4.4.0-79-generic/kernel/drivers/pci/hotplug/acpiphp_ibm.ko


More confusing to me though, is the question of why your systemd is
trying to load 'acpiphp' as a module at all -- its built-in, so systemd
need not and cannot do so.

As an aside: I will note that we actually _have_ quite recently disabled
acpiphp in our "linux-aws" custom kernel series (as of version
4.4.0-1018.27) since it shouldn't be useful/usable on AWS instances
anyway.  That change to the linux-aws series shouldn't affect your
4.4.0-79.100 system regardless, and I don't see any systemd-acpiphp
errors with that kernel either.

I suspect that some additional package that you have installed (but I
haven't) is triggering the problem.

Maybe an additional datapoint -- this post references the same
systemd-acpiphp error and hints at a solution:
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=124217

Are you using a public AMI that I could launch, to investigate further?

 -Kamal