Am 08.10.2014 um 20:28 schrieb Damien Robert:
Thomas Bächler wrote in message <543579D1.4010902@archlinux.org>:
I don't care what upstream recommends, there is no reason for this target to exist and there is no reason to use it. Things get even worse, since you cannot order the unit After=something - since timers.target pulls the unit, it gets an implicit ordering Before=timers.target, removing lots of flexibility with regards to ordering (since timers.target is before sysinit.target).
I don't really care about timers.target, but shouldn't the dependency be put in the corresponding services files rather than in the timers? I personally see timers as similar to sockets files, essentially trivial to launch, all the work being done in the services files.
The point with sockets and paths has been made clear in the original systemd blog post: You first set up all socket and path units, then you can start all daemons in parallel without caring for ordering. That is why there is a strict ordering between sockets/paths and normal services. Timers fulfill no such requirement. They are supposed to be started whenever the init system can do it.