Topic: Backup Not Workin

[Jason Ephraims]

Having Trouble with my tape backup it is not backing up. ANy ideas. The tape backup drive is an ide segate 20/40 it appears to have trouble when it is writting the information. I have tried diffrent tapes and a new tape drive it does the same any ideas on how to make this drive compatible

|------------------------------------------------
| Trying "mt defblksize" instead of "mt setblk"
| Doing level 0 backup of all using dump
| Retensioning tape...
| Rewinding & erasing tape...
| Creating index key 200307230003.29
| Tape #0
| Filesystems = / /boot
|------------------------------------------------
At block 64.
|------------------------------------------------
| File number 1, index key 200307230003.29
| Backup of: /
| Date of this level 0 backup: Wed Jul 23 00:03:29 2003
| Date of last level 0 backup: the epoch
|------------------------------------------------
| (dump -0 -b 10 -a -f - / | gzip -4) | buffer -m 3m -s 10k -u 100 -t -p 75 -B \
|  -o /dev/nst0
|------------------------------------------------
  DUMP: Date of this level 0 dump: Wed Jul 23 00:03:29 2003
  DUMP: Dumping /dev/md1 (/) to standard output
  DUMP: Added inode 7 to exclude list (resize inode)
  DUMP: Label: /
  DUMP: mapping (Pass I) [regular files]
  DUMP: mapping (Pass II) [directories]
  DUMP: estimated 5449674 tape blocks.
  DUMP: Volume 1 started with block 1 at: Wed Jul 23 00:11:53 2003
  DUMP: dumping (Pass III) [directories]
  DUMP: dumping (Pass IV) [regular files]
buffer (writer): write of data failed: Input/output error
bytes to write=10240, bytes written=-1, total written         30K
  DUMP: Broken pipe
  DUMP: The ENTIRE dump is aborted.
|------------------------------------------------
| Backup start: Wed Jul 23 00:03:29 2003
| Backup end:   Wed Jul 23 00:13:09 2003
|------------------------------------------------
At block 64.
|------------------------------------------------
| File number 2, index key 200307230003.29
| Backup of: /boot
| Date of this level 0 backup: Wed Jul 23 00:13:20 2003
| Date of last level 0 backup: the epoch
|------------------------------------------------
| (dump -0 -b 10 -a -f - /boot | gzip -4) | buffer -m 3m -s 10k -u 100 -t -p \
|  75 -B -o /dev/nst0
|------------------------------------------------
  DUMP: Date of this level 0 dump: Wed Jul 23 00:13:20 2003
  DUMP: Dumping /dev/md0 (/boot) to standard output
  DUMP: Added inode 7 to exclude list (resize inode)
  DUMP: Label: /boot1
  DUMP: mapping (Pass I) [regular files]
  DUMP: mapping (Pass II) [directories]
  DUMP: estimated 5894 tape blocks.
  DUMP: Volume 1 started with block 1 at: Wed Jul 23 00:13:20 2003
  DUMP: dumping (Pass III) [directories]
  DUMP: dumping (Pass IV) [regular files]
buffer (writer): write of data failed: Input/output error
bytes to write=10240, bytes written=-1, total written          0K
  DUMP: Broken pipe
  DUMP: The ENTIRE dump is aborted.
|------------------------------------------------
| Backup start: Wed Jul 23 00:13:20 2003
| Backup end:   Wed Jul 23 00:13:23 2003
|------------------------------------------------
At block 64.
|------------------------------------------------
| Rewinding...
|------------------------------------------------

 
 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mitel Networks SME Server 5.5
Copyright 2002 Mitel Networks Corporation.
All rights reserved.

[John Lewis]

I wrestled with similar problems for a long time.  After many frustrations, I purchased some new tapes, and hey presto, it all started working again.

Try a new tape.

[NeilL]

I have lived with similar problems for a while now- and haven't found a fix.  No indication at all what causes this.  I've tried new tapes, re-boots, yada yada yada.  I thought maybe the tape was too full and couldn't handle the data?  I tried the AdvancedBackupRestore thing, which really just provided a better interface to the same problem.  I also tried Arkeia, which permanently broke my backups.  Could no longer use flexbackup at all, couldn't make Arkeia work, didn't have the time to figure it all out.  Unless you are willing ALOT of time to figuring out arkeia on your own, I can't recommend it.  There is no HowTo that I could find, just a bunch of RPM's you're supposed to install.   (I was using e-smith 5.1.2)

So, right now, I am migrating to a new server.  Check out elSpike's great howto on doing a server migration (http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=18005.msg70563#msg70563).  

It also works pretty well in combination with a system upgrade if you don't copy templates, etc. from the old (screwed up!) system.  I've migrated to a temporary server (V. 5.6) while I re-build the main server and install a new, higher capacity tape drive.  Then, I'll just reverse the process and voila!  (knock on wood...)

[Graeme Fleming]

Check the posts in this thread:

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=17796.msg69595#msg69595

and possibly this:

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=17796.msg69595#msg69595

.. each discuss setting the tape block size to better suit the hardware platform

HTH

[Kelvin]

Hi Neil,

I'm sorry to hear that you have had bad experience(s) with Shad Lord's arkeia.

I personally use and highly recommend it over flex, etc, etc. without going to a commercial backup system.

Shad's contrib is meant to be a repacement system for the SME built in backup system. Install all the rpms then go to server manager under Arkeia backup, perform a Tape backup configuration (just as you would a normal SME tape backup except you do it through the Arkeia backup panel not the SME backup and restore panel). Set the times for your backup and specify the tape device name, drive type and media type.

That's it.

Under normal circumstances, it should just work. Help with error messages / etc for such a comlpex (yes it is) piece of software goes way beyond a simple howto. You should join the arkeia mailing list if you want help. On the one occasion I needed it, users on the mailing list helped point me in the right direction in tracking down an error message.

There's also a Windows based GUI front end. Granted, the GUI really looks like it's designed and written by someone who never touched a backup system before in their lives before writing it, however it does work and once you get used to it, you should be able to graphically do restores, define new backup sets, perform ad hoc and selective backups, etc. etc. etc.

If you are willing, give it another shot. Shad's web site does have a discussion forum for his arkeia contrib if you need some help.

Cheers,

Kelvin

[Michael Smith]

I've found that Arkeia works in circumstances where flexbackup doesn't ... would some manuals help?

http://www.arkeia.com/manuals.html

[NeilL]

Thanks for the feedback.

My comments were in no way meant to disparage Arkeia or Shad Lords' contribution to the community.  I'm sure they work great for some.

My point was that it didn't work for me, and once it was "broke" it was way too hard to fix.  I understand that it is "supposed"  to be that you just install the RPM's and administer from the user panel.  Did that.  Got a message to the effect of "backup not OK" with little more useful information.  Posted my question on this board (http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=17383.msg67693#msg67693) and got a one-line response from Shad. I really tried to figure out what was wrong, but the deeper I got the more I realized  I didn't have time to pursue it.

For many reasons, I've gone ahead and upgraded my system to 5.6.  I will stick to flexbackup for now, with maybe an rsync'd copy of the user files and ibays for extra insurance.  The lesson I've learned is not to take contrib's at face value, and to understand what you are getting into before typing RPM -Uvh.

Thanks for everyone's hard work and patience.  I wish I had more to contribute to the board, but I'm just a guy trying to make the computers work (I'm really a chemist...)

NeilL