Topic: Backup to tape problem

[stian]

I have a vxa-1 internal backup station and a 33GB tape. My disk is 80GB. I have 27GB of data on the disk, but I get this error mailed to me:


flexbackup version 1.1.7 (http://flexbackup.sourceforge.net)
/etc/flexbackup.conf syntax OK

|------------------------------------------------------------
| Checking 'buffer' on this machine... Ok
| Checking /bin/sh on this machine... bash2
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Doing level 0 backup of set all using tar
| All sets = full (1 tapes)
| Rewinding & erasing tape...
| Creating index key 200501040200
| Backup set full (/ /boot)
| Tape #0
|------------------------------------------------------------
At block 2.
|------------------------------------------------------------
| File number 1, tape index 200501040200
| Backup of: /
| Date of this level 0 backup: Tue Jan 04 02:00:33 2005
| Date of last level 0 backup: the epoch
|------------------------------------------------------------
| cd "/" && find . -depth -xdev ! -type s ! -regex "news/articles" ! -regex
|   ".*~"$ -print0 | tar --create --null --files-from=-
|   --ignore-failed-read --same-permissions --no-recursion --totals --label
|   "level 0 / Tue Jan 04 02:00:33 2005 tar+gzip from smeserver" --sparse
|   --atime-preserve -b 20 --file - | gzip -4 | buffer -m 3m -s 10k -u 100
|   -t -p 75 -B -o "/dev/nst0"
|------------------------------------------------------------
buffer (writer): write of data failed: No space left on device
bytes to write=10240, bytes written=-1, total written   14628700K

ERROR from backup, exiting
offending command(s):
cd "/" && find . -depth -xdev ! -type s ! -regex "news/articles" ! -regex ".*~"$ -print0 | tar --create --null --files-from=- --ignore-failed-read --same-permissions --no-recursion --totals --label "level 0 / Tue Jan 04 02:00:33 2005 tar+gzip from smeserver" --sparse --atime-preserve -b 20 --file - | gzip -4 | buffer -m 3m -s 10k -u 100 -t -p 75 -B -o "/dev/nst0"
Backup terminated: backup failed - status: 256

Anyone now what happen?

[ldkeen]

Some tapes may have a capacity of say 33GB using compression but only 16GB uncompressed. If this is the case with yours and you have a lot of files that don't compress well (such as mp3's) then there may well be no space left on the device.
Lloyd

[stian]

I use a VXA 170m tape that should give 33/66GB on a VXA1-station. Is it possibly to use a vxa2-station with smeserver? That would give 60/120GB with the same tape.

[CharlieBrady]

I have a vxa-1 internal backup station and a 33GB tape. My disk is 80GB. I have 27GB of data on the disk, but I get this error mailed to me:
...
buffer (writer): write of data failed: No space left on device

I think that's pretty clear. It means exactly what it says.

[stian]

I understand... Its just that I presumed I could have at least 33Gb uncompressed data on my disk and back it up to a 33Gb tape. Flexbackup does a compression of the files before it writes to the tape also, im I right? Would a exabyte vxa-2 solve my problem? Is SmeServer compatible with this IDE-station? Im running SME Server 6.0.1-01.

[compsos]

Try changing the block size to something like 150, via the templates,  for Exabyte VXA drives. We saw a similar problem but it was caused by lots of small files taking the default 10K blocks. Simply we ran out of blocks. It will also reduce backup time considerably.