"netplan apply" produces ovsdb-server.service WARNING even when openvswitch-switch not installed

[Brian Elliott Finley]

Example:

bfinley@flashmq2:~$ sudo netplan apply
WARNING:root:Cannot call Open vSwitch: ovsdb-server.service is not running.

bfinley@flashmq2:~$ apt-file search ovsdb-server.service
openvswitch-switch: /lib/systemd/system/ovsdb-server.service

bfinley@flashmq2:~$ dpkg -l openvswitch-switch
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-==================-============-============-=================================
un openvswitch-switch <none> <none> (no description available)

Possible resolution:

If the package isn't installed, there's no reason to warn that a non-existent service can't be restarted.

Therefore, in "/usr/share/netplan/netplan/cli/commands/apply.py", on line 417 (as of this version), include a test for the existence of ovsdb-server.service before warning about it.

Here's a patch that does just that:

bfinley@flashmq1:/usr/share/netplan/netplan$ diff -urN cli/commands/apply.py.orig cli/commands/apply.py
--- cli/commands/apply.py.orig 2023-10-28 17:18:39.690507475 +0000
+++ cli/commands/apply.py 2023-10-28 17:25:23.940383821 +0000
@@ -414,4 +414,5 @@
             if exit_on_error:
                 sys.exit(1)
         except OvsDbServerNotRunning as e:
- logging.warning('Cannot call Open vSwitch: {}.'.format(e))
+ if utils.systemctl_is_active('ovsdb-server.service'):
+ logging.warning('Cannot call Open vSwitch: {}.'.format(e))

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 22.04
Package: netplan.io 0.106.1-7ubuntu0.22.04.2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.15.0-87.97-generic 5.15.122
Uname: Linux 5.15.0-87-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu82.5
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: pass
CloudArchitecture: x86_64
CloudID: none
CloudName: none
CloudPlatform: none
CloudSubPlatform: config
Date: Sat Oct 28 16:54:18 2023
InstallationDate: Installed on 2023-10-24 (4 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Server 22.04.3 LTS "Jammy Jellyfish" - Release amd64 (20230810)
ProcEnviron:
 TERM=tmux-256color
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: netplan.io
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Lukas Märdian (slyon)]

Thanks for your report.

> If the package isn't installed, there's no reason to warn that a non-existent service can't be restarted.

That's very true! Would you mind transforming your patch into a pull-request at our GitHub repository?
https://github.com/canonical/netplan

[Mike Ferreira (mafoelffen)]

This exists today in my tests on DEV Noble Server 24.04, even on an unchanged, unmodified netplan yaml file.

Got the first error on my 1st test case that I was modifying to a static address.

Spun up the 2nd test case which was unmodifed/unchange netplan yaml file from the initial install, and by just running:
...
sudo netplan generate
sudo netplan apply
Cannot call Open vSwitch: ovsdb-server.service is not running.
...

I can confirm that it is just a warning, as it did successfully change the 1st test case to a static IP...

[Dexuan Cui (decui)]

I hit the same bug today. Thanks Brian for proposing the fix, which works for me.

[MSN (eric-breezy)]

Agreed that it's annoying. I Googled the error and arrived here. :-)

You can also install the Open vSwitch package, even if you're not planning to use it:

     apt-get install openvswitch-switch

The spurious warning message problem goes away. Not elegant, but it works.

[Lukas Märdian (slyon)]

This is being worked on in https://github.com/canonical/netplan/pull/421

[Sean Matula (sematula)]

Having the same issue in a fresh install of Ubuntu Server 22.04 on Raspberry Pi 4. Installing openvswitch-switch appears to resolve the issue.

[Josir Cardoso Gomes (josircg)]

Having the same issue on Ubuntu Server 23.10
Linux linux08 6.5.0-14-generic #14-Ubuntu SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC Tue Nov 14 14:59:49 UTC 2023 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

[lee (lingyun123)]

help me.
 modified the apply.py like the author did
/usr/share/netplan/netplan$ diff -urN cli/commands/apply.py
line 417 like attachment

[Patric Hansen (phansen2002)]

This is perhaps a more elegant patch:

--- a/cli/ovs.py
+++ b/cli/ovs.py
@@ -120,17 +120,17 @@
 def apply_ovs_cleanup(config_manager, ovs_old, ovs_current): # pragma: nocover (covered in autopkgtest)
     """
     Query OpenVSwitch state through 'ovs-vsctl' and filter for netplan=true
     tagged ports/bonds and bridges. Delete interfaces which are not defined
     in the current configuration.
     Also filter for individual settings tagged netplan/<column>[/<key]=value
     in external-ids and clear them if they have been set by netplan.
     """
- if not systemctl_is_active(OPENVSWITCH_OVSDB_SERVER_UNIT):
+ if os.path.isfile(OPENVSWITCH_OVS_VSCTL) and os.access(OPENVSWITCH_OVS_VSCTL, os.X_OK) and not systemctl_is_active(OPENVSWITCH_OVSDB_SERVER_UNIT):
         raise OvsDbServerNotRunning('{} is not running'.format(OPENVSWITCH_OVSDB_SERVER_UNIT))

     config_manager.parse()
     ovs_ifaces = set()
     for i in config_manager.all_defs.keys():
         if (is_ovs_interface(i, config_manager.all_defs)):
             ovs_ifaces.add(i)

[Inder Kochar (ikochar)]

I am setting up a ubuntu 22.04.4 (LTS) today. This error/warning still exists.
no any package installed. Just ubuntu server and tried to configure static IP address.

[Lami (tolem)]

Thanks!

[Peter Gimesi (gimesip)]

I've just set up ubuntu 22.04.4 (LTS) on a raspberry nano 2 and this error still there after adding WiFi networks.

[Lukas Märdian (slyon)]

It will be handled once we backport the next version of Netplan to 22.04 LTS, see bug #2058031

[Gene (e-n-shylaev)]

confirm it.
fresh install from CD 2024.4-minimal. attempt to change network settings from dhcp to static by netplan results unoperable network

[Gene (e-n-shylaev)]

sorry. mistake.
CD 22.04.4-minimal of course

[Łukasz Zemczak (sil2100)]

Can we get proper SRU information on this bug? Thank you!