systemd service unit incorrectly reported as masked

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 1 (SLES 12 SP1)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 2 (SLES 12 SP2)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 Service Pack 3 (SLES 12 SP3)

Situation

Checking the status of a service shows it is masked.

Running systemctl unmask <unit file> doesn't change the status.

Resolution

The systemd unit file is empty. Replace it in /usr/lib/systemd/system by reinstalling the package in which the unit file was contained.

Reload the systemd configuration file with systemctl daemon-reload after the unit file is replaced.

Cause

Additional Information

Masking a systemd unit is used to prevent the unit from starting.

When a mask is set on a unit, a symbolic link with the name of that unit is created in the /etc/systemd/system directory which points to /dev/null.

Systemd unit files in /etc/systemd/system override vendor-supplied unit files in /usr/lib/systemd/system, so attempting to start a masked unit will do nothing.

Disclaimer

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