Systemd: how to get into rescue mode

[Volker Wysk]

Am Sonntag, den 05.01.2020, 17:37 -0500 schrieb Little Girl:
> Hey there,
> 
> Volker Wysk wrote:
> 
> > I do this:
> > 
> > systemctl isolate rescue.target
> > 
> > Then everything is closed, and I get to a virtual console. There,
> > the
> > root password is queried. 
> 
> That command puts you into rescue mode (which is equivalent to the
> now obsolete runlevel 1). According to the systemd.special man page,
> the rescue mode is a "special target unit that pulls in the base
> system (including system mounts) and spawns a rescue shell. Isolate
> to this target in order to administer the system in single-user mode
> with all file systems mounted but with no services running, except
> for the most basic."
> 
> > Alas, there is no reaction whatsoever. I can enter the password,
> > but
> > nothing happens. Same for ctrl-d. The other virtual consoles are
> > dead. Alt-ctrl-del isn't recognized, too.
> 
> Since only basic services are running in rescue mode, those control
> commands won't work. Also, since it's in single-user mode, there's
> only one console and the other virtual consoles aren't available.
> Last, but not least, since it's not graphical, it won't do anything
> until you do something.

Thank you for your answer, but I think you've missed the point. I can't
type any command after doing "systemctl isolate rescue.target". What I
type isn't displayed. Nothing at all happens. It doesn't look like a
rescue shell is running.

I've got the "systemctl isolate rescue.target" command from that
article in the LinxUser magazine. They advise to do it when making a
backup, so there are no more files which are being used by running
services.

Cheers,
Volker