systemd: start service at boot in user context

[thx]

Hi,

I just solved an issue I had - just wnated to document it in case it's of some use?

I had trouble to automatically start Sync under my user on my Fedora 23 laptop at boot. Although I had enabled btsync as systemd service under my user, it did not start up even after I entered my graphical session. In addition I enabled lingering for my user, i.e., to start a user manager for my user at boot and after logout - so that services under my user will survive me logging out...

> sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
> systemctl --user enable btsync
> systemctl --user start btsync

Still, btsync did not start at boot.

Remedy was to change the target for the btsync target from multi-user to default in the [Install] section in /usr/lib/systemd/user/btsync.service

> /usr/lib/systemd/user/btsync.service
# WantedBy=multi-user.target #original target
WantedBy=default.target # working target

After disabling and enabling again btsync with systemctl for my user for resetting the link to match the target, i.e.,

$HOME/.config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/btsync.service

btysnc starts finally at boot under my user.

I suspect, that maybe the network may be was an obstacle for multi-user as target, since not necessarily I have a network at start (is multi-user coupled with network-online??)

Maybe somebody has an idea, what possible drawback could be with default as target? From what I see, it can change at some point (current graphical). Maybe graphical is not the optimal target.

Anyway, I had thought that graphical downstream of multi-user, so I wonder why it is working

Cheers,
  Thomas

[thx]

I just learnd, that systemd user instances indeed have no multi-user as target!
See

man 7 systemd.special #SPECIAL USER UNITS

so, for user instances default would be the correct target I suppose - combined with lingering