Job for dnsmasq.service failed because the control process exited with error code

[dino99]

Got an error while upgrading:

********
Setting up dnsmasq-base (2.72-3.1build1) ...
Setting up dnsmasq (2.72-3.1build1) ...
Job for dnsmasq.service failed because the control process exited with error code. See "systemctl status dnsmasq.service" and "journalctl -xe" for details.
invoke-rc.d: initscript dnsmasq, action "restart" failed.
*******

systemctl status dnsmasq.service
● dnsmasq.service - dnsmasq - A lightweight DHCP and caching DNS server
   Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/dnsmasq.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
  Drop-In: /run/systemd/generator/dnsmasq.service.d
           └─50-dnsmasq-$named.conf, 50-insserv.conf-$named.conf
   Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since dim. 2015-06-14 12:40:41 CEST; 1min 11s ago
  Process: 29275 ExecStop=/etc/init.d/dnsmasq systemd-stop-resolvconf (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
  Process: 29335 ExecStart=/etc/init.d/dnsmasq systemd-exec (code=exited, status=2)
  Process: 29331 ExecStartPre=/usr/sbin/dnsmasq --test (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)
 Main PID: 915 (code=exited, status=0/SUCCESS)

 systemd[1]: Starting dnsmasq - A lightweight DHCP and .....
 dnsmasq[29331]: dnsmasq: syntax check OK.
 dnsmasq[29335]: dnsmasq: failed to create listening so...se
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Control process exited, c...=2
 systemd[1]: Failed to start dnsmasq - A lightweight DH...r.
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Unit entered failed state.
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Failed with result 'exit-...'.
Hint: Some lines were ellipsized, use -l to show in full.

 journalctl -xe
 dnsmasq[29335]: failed to create listening socket for 192.168.1.2: Address already in
 dnsmasq[29335]: FAILED to start up
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Control process exited, code=exited status=2
 systemd[1]: Failed to start dnsmasq - A lightweight DHCP and caching DNS server.
-- Subject: L'unité (unit) dnsmasq.service a échoué
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/systemd-devel
--
-- L'unité (unit) dnsmasq.service a échoué, avec le résultat failed.
 systemd[1]: Dependency failed for Host and Network Name Lookups.
-- Subject: L'unité (unit) nss-lookup.target a échoué
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: http://lists.freedesktop.org/mailman/listinfo/systemd-devel
--
-- L'unité (unit) nss-lookup.target a échoué, avec le résultat dependency.
 systemd[1]: nss-lookup.target: Job nss-lookup.target/start failed with result 'depend
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Unit entered failed state.
 systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Failed with result 'exit-code'.
 polkitd(authority=local)[910]: Unregistered Authentication Agent for unix-process:292

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.10
Package: dnsmasq 2.72-3.1build1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.0.0-1.2-generic 4.0.5
Uname: Linux 4.0.0-1-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.17.3-0ubuntu4
Architecture: i386
CurrentDesktop: GNOME
Date: Sun Jun 14 12:45:55 2015
PackageArchitecture: all
SourcePackage: dnsmasq
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[dino99 (9d9)]

Newly 2.73-1 also produce the same error while upgrading

[dino99 (9d9)]

i simply purged dsnmasq as it seems to be a network-manager conflict/race

[Cyrus Harmon (ch-launchpad)]

FWIW, I see the same error on 15.10.

[Alberto Salvia Novella (es20490446e)]

Does it cause a noticeable malfunction?

When answered please set this bug status back to "confirmed". Thank you.

[emk2203 (emk2203)]

>Does it cause a noticeable malfunction?

Yes. I run Ubuntu 16.04 on an ARM system, and the bug makes it impossible to install pi hole https://pi-hole.net/ on it, an ad blocker for other devices in the network. The effect of the bug is that other devices can't connect to the internet via this system, because dnsmasq is not running.

[emk2203 (emk2203)]

This maybe a duplicate of #1531184 https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/dnsmasq/+bug/1531184 .

The proposed fix of adding the following to the [Unit] section of dnsmasq.service fixes the problem:

 After=network-online.target
 Wants=network-online.target

[Max Chen (maxchen)]

thanks emk2203
In Ubuntu 16.04.1, [Unit] section of dnsmasq.service fixes the problem:
 After=network-online.target
 Wants=network-online.target

I dont know why so long to release the fixed version

[clickwir (clickwir)]

Running 16.04.1 and this fix doesn't seem to make a difference.

Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Start-post operation timed out. Stopping.
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu dnsmasq[31933]: exiting on receipt of SIGTERM
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: Failed to start dnsmasq - A lightweight DHCP and caching DNS server.
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: Dependency failed for Host and Network Name Lookups.
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: nss-lookup.target: Job nss-lookup.target/start failed with result 'dependency'.
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Unit entered failed state.
Feb 5 10:55:56 ubuntu systemd[1]: dnsmasq.service: Failed with result 'timeout'.

/lib/systemd/system/dnsmasq.service is where I added the 2 lines so it looks like this:

[Unit]
Description=dnsmasq - A lightweight DHCP and caching DNS server
Requires=network.target
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

Yet the error still happens: ubuntu systemd[1]: nss-lookup.target: Job nss-lookup.target/start failed with result 'dependency'.

I ran a apt --purge and removed dnsmasq completely, then reinstalled it. Got the same nss-lookup.target error. Based on some other bugs, maybe dnsmasq didn't have it's interface defined properly. So I added the interface=enp6s0 line to the dnsmasq.conf file. Restarting the service still yields the same nss-lookup.target error.

To get back to a working system, either a reboot or run "service dnsmasq start" instead of restart.