[Bug 2084376] Re: [Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular; systemd-sysctl service] File /etc/sysctl.conf is not processed

[Nick Rosbrook]

My point is that by default on Ubuntu, /etc/sysctl.conf contains no
active settings; it is only comments. Hence, loading this by default on
Ubuntu would have no effect. If you want to make custom settings, there
are many other supported ways of doing so (like creating a file in
/etc/sysctl.d). I would not recommend changing the files shipped by
default anyways, because they might be overridden on package upgrades.

The reason the symlink was removed is that in future versions of procps
(the package that owns /etc/sysctl.conf), the file /etc/sysctl.conf will
not be shipped at all. Only snippets in /etc/sysctl.d/ will be used.
Since the file (a) has no effect by default on 24.10, and (b) will not
exist in 25.04+, I do not see why we should ship the symlink in the
systemd package.

> Using etc/sysctl.d/*.conf snippets is an option but not mandatory.

For use with systemd-sysctl, using a supported configuration
directory[1] is mandatory.

[1]
https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/latest/sysctl.d.html#

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/2084376

Title:
  [Ubuntu 24.10 Oracular; systemd-sysctl service] File /etc/sysctl.conf
  is not processed

Status in systemd package in Ubuntu:
  Incomplete

Bug description:
  Problem summary:
  ----------------
  After upgrading from Noble to Oracular the kernel parameters enclosed in the file /etc/sysctl.conf are not being loaded by systemd-sysctl service.

  The problem is that Oracular systemd package
  (systemd_256.5-2ubuntu3_amd64.deb) lacks the file
  /etc/sysctl.d/99-sysctl.conf that is a simlink to /etc/sysctl.conf, so
  that file is not processed at all.

  Previous Noble package (systemd_255.4-1ubuntu8.4_amd64.deb) contains
  that file (link) so it worked as expected.

  Aditional info:
  ---------------
  #lsb_release -rd
  Description:	Ubuntu 24.10
  Release:	24.10

  # apt-cache policy systemd
  systemd:
    Instalados: 256.5-2ubuntu3
    Candidato:  256.5-2ubuntu3
    Tabla de versión:
   *** 256.5-2ubuntu3 500
          500 http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu oracular/main amd64 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

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