/sbin/init failed to start

Other technical issues
1

The version is 2309. The system was still working normally yesterday, but today it froze directly at the boot screen when starting up. I tried entering single-user mode, and it gave the following error:

/sbin/init: Error while loading shared libraries: libsystemd-core-253.so: Cannot open shared object

Does anyone have any insights into what might be causing this?

2

This is a serious system boot failure. The /sbin/init (which is systemd itself) fails to load the core shared library libsystemd-core-253.so during startup, preventing the system from booting normally. Below is an analysis of the possible causes and steps to fix it.

Root Cause Analysis

libsystemd-core-253.so is the core dynamic library of systemd (version 253), and /sbin/init is a symbolic link to systemd. This error typically occurs due to one of the following reasons:

  • Library file deleted or corrupted: The file /usr/lib64/libsystemd-core-253.so is missing or damaged.
  • Incomplete systemd package upgrade/downgrade: Some files were updated, but dependencies were not synchronized, leading to version mismatches.
  • Corrupted /etc/ld.so.cache: The dynamic linker cache does not include the correct path to the library.
  • Filesystem corruption: I/O errors on the root partition prevent the file from being read.

Repair Steps

Since the system cannot boot normally, you must use Rescue Mode or a Live CD/USB to access and repair the system.

Step 1: Enter Rescue Environment

  1. Boot from the openEuler installation ISO and select “Troubleshooting” → “Rescue a openEuler system”.

  2. Alternatively, use a Live image and manually mount the original root partition:

    bash

    Edit

    1 mkdir /mnt/sysroot
2 mount /dev/sdaX /mnt/sysroot          # Mount root partition
3 mount --bind /dev /mnt/sysroot/dev
4 mount --bind /proc /mnt/sysroot/proc
5 mount --bind /sys /mnt/sysroot/sys
6 chroot /mnt/sysroot

Step 2: Check if the Library File Exists

bash

Edit

1 # Search for the library file
2 find /usr/lib64 -name "libsystemd-core*.so*" 2>/dev/null
3 ls -l /usr/lib64/libsystemd-core-253.so
  • If the file exists: It’s likely a cache issue — run ldconfig to rebuild the cache.
  • If the file is missing: You need to reinstall the systemd package.

Step 3: Reinstall systemd

bash

Edit

1 # Check systemd package status
2 rpm -qa | grep systemd

3 # Reinstall systemd (automatically restores missing library files)
4 dnf reinstall -y systemd

5 # If dnf is not available, use rpm to force reinstall
6 rpm -ivh --force --replacepkgs systemd-*.rpm

:light_bulb: If network access is unavailable, extract systemd-*.rpm from the Packages/ directory of the same-version openEuler ISO for offline installation.

Step 4: Rebuild Dynamic Linker Cache

bash

Edit

1 # Ensure the library path is configured
2 echo "/usr/lib64" > /etc/ld.so.conf.d/usr-lib64.conf

3 # Rebuild the cache
4 ldconfig

5 # Verify the library is now registered
6 ldconfig -p | grep libsystemd-core

Step 5: Verify the Fix

bash

Edit

1 # Check that all dependencies of init are resolved
2 ldd /sbin/init | grep "not found"

3 # Once no missing dependencies are reported, exit chroot and reboot
4 exit
5 reboot

Prevention Tips

  • Never manually delete files in /usr/lib64/ — always use package managers.
  • Ensure upgrade integrity: Use dnf upgrade --refresh instead of manually replacing RPM packages.
  • Regularly back up critical system files, especially those in /usr/lib64/ and /etc/ld.so.conf.d/.
  • Enable official openEuler repositories to ensure proper dependency resolution.

If the above steps fail, the root filesystem may be damaged. Run a disk health check (smartctl -a /dev/sda) and consider restoring from a known good backup.

3

Thank you very much. The data has already been backed up today, and I’ll try the steps you provided tomorrow.

Thank you :folded_hands:

4

After entering rescue mode, ldconfig rebuilt the cache, and it’s working now.

Thank you, senior developer :folded_hands:. Truly, the path of learning is endless. You know what you know, while I know that I don’t know.