Topic: Flexbackup 256 errors

[jabell]

Due to tape backup failures I've been having on a Seagate DDS3 tape unit, I have been checking out the Flexbackup website which recommends various script changes to the way it runs to determine the cause of the problem.  
As this is a clean install of the latest SME7.1 I'm reluctant to fiddle with something that has probably been optimised anyway, so what to do when I continually get "Backup terminated: backup failed - status: 256" errors?  Within the default installation of SME is there someway of determining the cause of this?
thanks
John Abell

[jabell]

Further to this tape failure problem, I'm wondering if it is just a case of attempting to back up more data than the capacity of the DDS3 tape?  The DDS3 is supposed to be a 12gb tape, but it looks to me that the amount of data only amounts to 3.3gb and should be ok, but the line below here indicates it is full. What is going on?
Below is the emailed daily report.
thanks
John Abell
=======================================
buffer (writer): write of data failed: No space left on device
bytes to write=32768, bytes written=-1, total written    3330144K

=======================================
flexbackup version 1.2.1 (http://flexbackup.sourceforge.net)
/etc/flexbackup.conf syntax OK

 $keyfile not found in config: default=00-index-key
 $buffer_fill_pct not found in config: default=75
 $buffer_pause_usec not found in config: default=100
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Checking 'buffer' on this machine... Ok
| Checking /bin/sh on this machine... bash1
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Doing level 0 backup of set all using tar
| All sets = full (1 tapes)
| Rewinding & erasing tape...
| Found index key 200705090200, next file is 2
| Deleting record for 200705090200 file 0
| Deleting record for 200705090200 file 1
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Creating index key 200705100200
| Backup set "full" (/)
| Tape #0
|------------------------------------------------------------
SCSI 2 tape drive:
File number=1, block number=0, partition=0.
Tape block size 0 bytes. Density code 0x24 (DDS-2).
Soft error count since last status=0
General status bits on (81010000):
 EOF ONLINE IM_REP_EN
|------------------------------------------------------------
| File number 1, tape index 200705100200
| Backup of: /
| Date of this level 0 backup: Thu May 10 02:00:18 2007
| Date of last level 0 backup: the epoch
|------------------------------------------------------------
| cd "/" && /tmp/collectexit.5045.sh find . -depth -xdev ! -type s ! -regex \
|   "news/articles" ! -regex ".*~"$ -print0 | /tmp/collectexit.5045.sh tar \
|   --create --null --files-from=- --ignore-failed-read --same-permissions \
|   --no-recursion --totals --label "level 0 / Thu May 10 02:00:18 2007 \
|   tar+gzip from ahnrcserver" --sparse --atime-preserve -b 64 --file - | \
|   /tmp/collectexit.5045.sh gzip -4 | /tmp/collectexit.5045.sh buffer -m \
|   20m -p 75 -s 32k -t -u 100 -B -o "/dev/nst0"
| [ ! -e /tmp/exitstatus.5045 ]
|------------------------------------------------------------
buffer (writer): write of data failed: No space left on device
bytes to write=32768, bytes written=-1, total written    3330144K

ERROR: non-zero exit from:
buffer -m 20m -p 75 -s 32k -t -u 100 -B -o /dev/nst0
gzip -4
tar --create --null --files-from=- --ignore-failed-read --same-permissions --no-recursion --totals --label level 0 / Thu May 10 02:00:18 2007 tar+gzip from ahnrcserver --sparse --atime-preserve -b 64 --file -
find . -depth -xdev ! -type s ! -regex news/articles ! -regex .*~$ -print0


ERROR: exiting
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Backup start: Thu May 10 02:00:18 2007
| Backup end:   Thu May 10 03:32:07 2007
|------------------------------------------------------------
SCSI 2 tape drive:
File number=2, block number=0, partition=0.
Tape block size 0 bytes. Density code 0x24 (DDS-2).
Soft error count since last status=0
General status bits on (81010000):
 EOF ONLINE IM_REP_EN
|------------------------------------------------------------
| Rewinding...
| Compressing log (all.0.200705100200.gz)
| Linking all.latest.gz -> all.0.200705100200.gz
|------------------------------------------------------------
Backup terminated: backup failed - status: 256

[gbentley]

J - Did you shed any light on this ?

Am getting similar !

http://forums.contribs.org/index.php?topic=39384.0

[mikhael_43]

Hi guys

Have been watching this thread with interest. Am surprised at the lack of posts re this error. I personally have seen it with 3 SME servers. I'm guessing here, but it may have to do with the amount of data in the /users folders.

Not sure here but when you click Backup or Restore in the Left hand menu, you get a summary of the amount of data on the server's harddrive. The 2 numbers in bold, what do they represent?

In my server...

Currently your configuration and data files total approximately 5Gb.

and...

Currently your hard disk contains 14Gb of data.

Does, 14Gb mean the absolute grand total??
And the 5Gb just the /users folder ??

Thanks
Michael

[raem]

mikhael_43

Does, 14Gb mean the absolute grand total??

Yes, and this paragraph is referring to tape backups.
As the tape backup backs up all files on your server, then the tape capacity should be adequate to handle that amount.

And the 5Gb just the /users folder ??

This paragraph refers to backup to desktop.
As the text says, it is the configuration & data, which means the minimal server configuration information and user & ibay data that would be required to rebuild the server in the event of a major failure which required a complete restore.


The sme server backup & restore concept only backs up certain files which will allow the server to be rebuilt by restoring to a fresh installation of the sme OS.
You will also need to reinstall add on contribs as these are not backed up.

Note that the tape backup actually backs up ALL files on your server, including the minimal config & data required for a restore.
The tape backup ONLY restores the minimal config & data, but you can manually restore any other files on the tape if required using the command line, although it is usually not required.

Search on backup to find a full list of all the essential files that are included in a standard backup & restore.

[mikhael_43]

Thanks for the reply Ray, but I'm now thoroughly confused. 

In my own server the /ibays folder contains 6.3Gb (uncompressed). And the /users folder contains 4.4Gb (uncompressed).

If the "Configuration and data files total approx. 5Gb" (and the server-manager says it is uncompressed), then what's in the other 9Gb?

And how come my /ibays folder is 6.3Gb and /users is 4.4Gb ?

With thanks
Michael

[raem]

mikhael_43

...the /ibays folder contains 6.3Gb (uncompressed).
And the /users folder contains 4.4Gb (uncompressed).

Where are you getting those figures from, and how (what command) ?

These commands should help identify how much data each folder contains:

cd /
du -hc --max-depth=1

cd /home/e-smith/files
du -hc --max-depth=1

[mikhael_43]

Thanks again Ray.

From your commands I get...

36K     ./mnt
4.0K    ./command
260K    ./package
516M    ./proc
11G     ./home
49M     ./boot
16K     ./lost+found
4.0K    ./srv
18M     ./tmp
4.0K    ./service
4.4M    ./root
216K    ./dev
4.0K    ./initrd
0       ./sys
25M     ./etc
422M    ./lib
17M     ./sbin
795M    ./usr
4.4M    ./bin
1.2G    ./var
0       ./selinux
4.0K    ./opt
12K     ./media
14G     .
14G     total

and...

6.2G    ./ibays
16K     ./server-resources
100K    ./samba
4.3G    ./users
4.0K    ./.shadow
11G     .
11G     total

which is close enough to my numbers (I used a different du command --> du -shm $(find $1 -type d -maxdepth 1 -xdev) | sort -g ).

So, obviously, you've answered part of my question.

So, if I restore from a "Backup to Desktop" of just 5Gb (uncompressed), what will I lose? Because I have nearly 11Gb of important data.

Regards
Michael

[raem]

mikhael_43

The interesting bits are:

11G     ./home
1.2G    ./var
14G     total

6.2G    ./ibays
4.3G    ./users
11G     total

The backup to desktop approximation of 5Gb seems to be in discrepancy to the actual "wanted" data size of around 11Gb.
I would suggest you report that as a bug.

So, if I restore from a "Backup to Desktop" of just 5Gb (uncompressed), what will I lose? Because I have nearly 11Gb of important data.

Nothing should be lost, as the backup/restore includes all user data (inc ibays) & configuration, and at a guess it will probably be more than 5Gb.

Of course there will be some size discrepancy due to system files not being backed up, and you also have a fairly big amount of data in /var, probably log files, that's the other 3Gb worth, which sounds about right.
You will need to reinstall all add on apps as advised previously.

I think the issue you see is probably a bug.

[mikhael_43]

OK, thanks.

Appreciate your help.

Michael