src/health/guides/systemdunits/systemd_target_unit_failed_state.md
### Understand the alert
The `systemd_target_unit_failed_state` alert is triggered when a `systemd` target unit goes into a failed state. Systemd is the system and service manager for Linux, and target units are groups of systemd units that are organized for a specific purpose. If this alert is triggered, it means there is an issue with one of your systemd target units.
### What does failed state mean?
A systemd target unit in the failed state means that one or more units/tasks of that target, whether it's a service, or any other kind of systemd unit, have encountered an issue and cannot continue running.
### Troubleshoot the alert
1. First, you need to identify which systemd target unit is causing the alert. You can list all the failed units by running:
```
systemctl --failed --all
```
2. Once you have identified the problematic target unit, check its status for more information about the issue. Replace `<target_unit>` with the actual target unit name:
```
systemctl status <target_unit>
```
3. Look at the logs of the failed target unit to collect more details on the issue:
```
journalctl -u <target_unit>
```
4. Based on the information gathered in steps 2 and 3, troubleshoot and fix the problem(s) in your target unit. This may involve:
- Editing the unit file
- Checking the services and processes that compose the target
- Looking into configuration files and directories.
5. Reload the systemctl daemon to apply any changes you made, then restart the target unit:
```
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart <target_unit>
```
6. Verify that the target unit has been successfully restarted:
```
systemctl is-active <target_unit>
```
7. Continue monitoring the target unit to ensure that it remains stable and does not return to a failed state.
### Useful resources
1. [systemd man pages (targets)](https://www.freedesktop.org/software/systemd/man/systemd.target.html)
2. [systemd Targets - ArchWiki](https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Systemd#Targets)