Failed to activate service 'net.reactivated.Fprint'

[bluppfisk]

Since a few days, the fingerprint reader won't work anymore (Dell XPS 9300, Goodix Fingerprint reader Ubuntu 21.04, Mutter). Notably it started happening after kernel 5.11.22 was installed.

$ fprintd-list
Failed to get Fprintd manager: Error calling StartServiceByName for net.reactivated.Fprint: Failed to activate service 'net.reactivated.Fprint': timed out (service_start_timeout=25000ms)

This causes long delays on the login screen and elsewhere.

I could turn off the fingerprint reader pam, but I wish to keep using it.

Journalctl -b 0 output attached.

[bluppfisk (bluppfisk)]

● fprintd.service - Fingerprint Authentication Daemon
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/fprintd.service; static)
     Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Fri 2021-06-25 20:07:55 CEST; 4min 34s ago
       Docs: man:fprintd(1)
    Process: 108264 ExecStart=/usr/libexec/fprintd (code=exited, status=226/NAMESPACE)
   Main PID: 108264 (code=exited, status=226/NAMESPACE)

jun 25 20:07:45 tuhao2 systemd[1]: Starting Fingerprint Authentication Daemon...
jun 25 20:07:55 tuhao2 systemd[108264]: fprintd.service: Failed to set up mount namespacing: /run/systemd/unit>
jun 25 20:07:55 tuhao2 systemd[108264]: fprintd.service: Failed at step NAMESPACE spawning /usr/libexec/fprint>
jun 25 20:07:55 tuhao2 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Main process exited, code=exited, status=226/NAMESPACE
jun 25 20:07:55 tuhao2 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
jun 25 20:07:55 tuhao2 systemd[1]: Failed to start Fingerprint Authentication Daemon.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Dave (david-collett)]

I have the same issue on Lenovo X1 Carbon gen 9.
Ubuntu 21.04
Kernel 5.11.0-31

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

If it started after a kernel upgrade since it's probably a regression there? Could you try starting on the previous kernel see if that resolves the issue?

[bluppfisk (bluppfisk)]

I've used the 21.04 latest kernel and it worked OK most of the time. I'm now on 21.10 with the 5.13 kernel and it also works OK. I'd close this then

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

this is an issue in 22.04 dev.
Failed to get Fprintd manager: Error calling StartServiceByName for net.reactivated.Fprint: Timeout was reached

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

5.12.19-051219-generic #202107201136 SMP Tue Jul 20 16:58:52 UTC 2021 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux is the kernel.

This triggers a gdm3 login bug where no user shows up for login in gdm3:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gdm3/+bug/1960336

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

files updates in /etc/pam.d :
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1415 feb 9 15:15 gdm-smartcard-sssd-or-password
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1373 feb 9 15:15 gdm-smartcard-sssd-exclusive
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1408 feb 9 15:15 gdm-smartcard-pkcs11-exclusive
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1320 feb 9 15:15 gdm-password
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 383 feb 9 15:15 gdm-launch-environment
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1342 feb 9 15:15 gdm-fingerprint
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1192 feb 9 15:15 gdm-autologin

gdm-fingerprint references:
auth required pam_fprintd.so
password required pam_fprintd.so

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

I have a similar Goodix device.
I reported :
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/fprintd/+bug/1962344

They may be related.
Snippet from my journalctl:

ubuntu@ubuntu-inspiron-5482:~$ journalctl -b 0 | grep fprintd
feb 25 21:09:27 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 sudo[12402]: ubuntu : TTY=pts/0 ; PWD=/home/ubuntu ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/apt install fprintd
feb 25 21:10:14 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 dbus-daemon[1737]: [system] Activating via systemd: service name='net.reactivated.Fprint' unit='fprintd.service' requested by ':1.153' (uid=1000 pid=12715 comm="fprintd-list ")
feb 25 21:10:15 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 kernel: fprintd[12718]: segfault at 40 ip 00007f96fd1b2056 sp 00007ffe9717a980 error 4 in libusb-1.0.so.0.3.0[7f96fd1a8000+f000]
feb 25 21:10:15 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 kernel: fprintd[12723]: segfault at 40 ip 00007f96fd1b2056 sp 00007f96f2ffca60 error 4 in libusb-1.0.so.0.3.0[7f96fd1a8000+f000]
feb 25 21:10:15 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 whoopsie-upload-all[12725]: INFO:root:Collecting info for /var/crash/_usr_libexec_fprintd.0.crash...
feb 25 21:10:16 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Main process exited, code=dumped, status=11/SEGV
feb 25 21:10:16 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Failed with result 'core-dump'.
feb 25 21:10:20 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 whoopsie-upload-all[12725]: INFO:root:Marking /var/crash/_usr_libexec_fprintd.0.crash for whoopsie upload
feb 25 21:10:20 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 whoopsie-upload-all[12725]: INFO:root: missing (remaining: 20 s): /var/crash/_usr_libexec_fprintd.0.uploaded /var/crash/_usr_libexec_tracker-miner-fs-3.1000.uploaded
feb 25 21:10:30 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 whoopsie-upload-all[12725]: INFO:root: missing (remaining: 10 s): /var/crash/_usr_libexec_fprintd.0.uploaded
feb 25 21:10:40 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 whoopsie-upload-all[12725]: INFO:root: missing (remaining: 0 s): /var/crash/_usr_libexec_fprintd.0.uploaded
feb 25 21:14:02 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 polkitd(authority=local)[1769]: Operator of unix-session:2 successfully authenticated as unix-user:root to gain TEMPORARY authorization for action org.freedesktop.systemd1.manage-units for system-bus-name::1.165 [systemctl restart fprintd.service] (owned by unix-user:ubuntu)
feb 25 21:14:03 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 kernel: fprintd[13512]: segfault at 40 ip 00007f49958e0056 sp 00007ffd6ef58100 error 4 in libusb-1.0.so.0.3.0[7f49958d6000+f000]
feb 25 21:14:03 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Main process exited, code=dumped, status=11/SEGV
feb 25 21:14:03 ubuntu-inspiron-5482 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Failed with result 'core-dump'.

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

related : https://bugs.launchpad.net/libfprint-2-tod1-goodix/+bug/1944369

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

resolved in the bug mentioned. closing

[Vincent Gerris (vgerris)]

update : sorry, not my bug - so not closing. needs confirmation. fprint is fixed, the sensor may not work. unlcear if that is part of this bug. leaving it to the owner, thank you

[Ondra Žižka (zizka)]

Not sure if related, but similar - on Dell Latitude 5500, Broadcom sensor 0a5c:5843

Jun 28 18:39:26 ondrej5500 systemd[1]: Starting Fingerprint Authentication Daemon...
Jun 28 18:39:26 ondrej5500 fprintd[123115]: Failed to get name: net.reactivated.Fprint
Jun 28 18:39:26 ondrej5500 systemd[1]: fprintd.service: Deactivated successfully.
Jun 28 18:39:26 ondrej5500 systemd[1]: Started Fingerprint Authentication Daemon.

Also see https://www.dell.com/community/Latitude/Fingerprint-driver-for-GNU-Linux/td-p/7563679