[rdiff-backup-users] Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side

[Noah]

I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over again. I
had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection to my home server
was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do instead of completely
blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory. That essentially means I have
to start the process over completely. Also I am wondering if there is
something that I can do in the future since I could start the process again
and my cable modem server at home becomes isolated. How can I easily recover
from the situation without having to start completely over.



--- snip ---

Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side

The rdiff-backup data directory
/home/backup/typhoon/rdiff-backup-data
exists, but we cannot find a valid current_mirror marker. You can
avoid this message by removing the rdiff-backup-data directory;
however any data in it will be lost.

Probably this error was caused because the first rdiff-backup session
into a new directory failed. If this is the case it is safe to delete
the rdiff-backup-data directory because there is no important
information in it.


--- snip ---

here is the command I use:


/usr/local/bin/rdiff-backup --force --print-statistics
--exclude-globbing-filelist /root/cron_scripts/rdiff-backup.exclude /
***@server-backup::/home/backup/backup_dir

[Noah]

I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over again. I
had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection to my home server
was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do instead of completely
blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory. That essentially means I have
to start the process over completely. Also I am wondering if there is
something that I can do in the future since I could start the process again
and my cable modem server at home becomes isolated. How can I easily recover
from the situation without having to start completely over.



--- snip ---

Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side

The rdiff-backup data directory
/home/backup/typhoon/rdiff-backup-data
exists, but we cannot find a valid current_mirror marker. You can
avoid this message by removing the rdiff-backup-data directory;
however any data in it will be lost.

Probably this error was caused because the first rdiff-backup session
into a new directory failed. If this is the case it is safe to delete
the rdiff-backup-data directory because there is no important
information in it.


--- snip ---

here is the command I use:


/usr/local/bin/rdiff-backup --force --print-statistics
--exclude-globbing-filelist /root/cron_scripts/rdiff-backup.exclude /
***@server-backup::/home/backup/backup_dir

[Noah]

Post by Noah
I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over
again. I had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection
to my home server was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do
instead of completely blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory.
That essentially means I have to start the process over completely.
Also I am wondering if there is something that I can do in the
future since I could start the process again and my cable modem
server at home becomes isolated. How can I easily recover from the
situation without having to start completely over.

I found a nice suggestion from the rdiff-backup wiki page for those folks who
backup across unreliable links.

http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/BackupUpOnUnreliableLink


cheers,

NOah

Post by Noah
--- snip ---
Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side
The rdiff-backup data directory
/home/backup/typhoon/rdiff-backup-data
exists, but we cannot find a valid current_mirror marker. You can
avoid this message by removing the rdiff-backup-data directory;
however any data in it will be lost.
Probably this error was caused because the first rdiff-backup session
into a new directory failed. If this is the case it is safe to
delete the rdiff-backup-data directory because there is no important
information in it.
--- snip ---
/usr/local/bin/rdiff-backup --force --print-statistics
--exclude-globbing-filelist /root/cron_scripts/rdiff-backup.exclude /
_______________________________________________
http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users
Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki

[dean gaudet]

Post by Noah

Post by Noah
I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over
again. I had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection
to my home server was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do
instead of completely blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory.
That essentially means I have to start the process over completely.
Also I am wondering if there is something that I can do in the
future since I could start the process again and my cable modem
server at home becomes isolated. How can I easily recover from the
situation without having to start completely over.

I found a nice suggestion from the rdiff-backup wiki page for those folks who
backup across unreliable links.
http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/BackupUpOnUnreliableLink

depending on how unreliable your link is you might see an improvement by
changing your ssh options to lengthen the keepalive timeout. on my client
side i'm currently using this (in .ssh/config):

tcpkeepalive no
serveraliveinterval 14400

i think those options may require a newer ssh ... and definitely requires
sshv2 protocol... and you probably need to disable tcp keepalive in the
sshd_config on your server as well (which means you should disable ssh v1
protocol -- which is not secure anyhow).

-dean

[dean gaudet]

Post by Noah
I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over again. I
had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection to my home server
was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do instead of completely
blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory. That essentially means I have
to start the process over completely.

you should just remove the rdiff-backup-data directory -- until you've had
a complete successful backup it's useless and doesn't contain anything you
need to save.

Post by Noah
--- snip ---
Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side
The rdiff-backup data directory
/home/backup/typhoon/rdiff-backup-data
exists, but we cannot find a valid current_mirror marker. You can
avoid this message by removing the rdiff-backup-data directory;
however any data in it will be lost.
Probably this error was caused because the first rdiff-backup session
into a new directory failed. If this is the case it is safe to delete
the rdiff-backup-data directory because there is no important
information in it.

rdiff-backup is telling you the same thing in its error message.

as long as you use --force for the next backup it'll use the already
downloaded files.

-dean

[Maarten Bezemer]

Hi,

Judging from the information in your email, you have been doing the first
"full" backup of your data for 6 hours, and then the connection was
broken. As suggested by Dean Gaudet, you can delete the rdiff-backup-data
within your backup tree (so not the files transferred during the 6 hours,
but only the rdiff-backup-data subdirectory!), and restart rdiff-backup.
It will then continue where it left off, so you will not lose your 6 hours
of data transfer.

Once the initial backup is done, regular "incremental" sessions take much
less time. I don't recall exactly how much time my initial backup took,
but it took quite a few hours. Incremental backups (running daily) usually
take no more than some 10 minutes. So, depending on the reliability of
your cable modem connection, you may not even need extra measures to get a
reliable backup.


The Wiki page you refered to earlier is only a suggestion for easing
incremental backups over unreliable links, but the way I understand it, it
may take twice the space of the data being backed up, plus the space
needed for incremental diffs.
Hm... now that I think about it, it may be possible to hardlink the
rdiff-repository (excluding the rdiff-backup-data directory), running
remote rsync on that tree, possibly restarting that rsync multiple times
before it finishes cleanly, and calling rdiff-backup locally on the
rsynced tree. That way, it would only need 1 copy of the repository, plus
two times the changes.

It would be great if the scripts discussed in the wiki page were also
available. Can someone (preferably the author of the page) please arrange
this?

Regards,
Maarten

Post by Noah
I am hoping there is a way around starting the backup process over again. I
had it running for about 6 hours and then the connection to my home server
was lost. Any clues if there is anything I can do instead of completely
blowing away the rdiff-backup-data directory. That essentially means I have
to start the process over completely. Also I am wondering if there is
something that I can do in the future since I could start the process again
and my cable modem server at home becomes isolated. How can I easily recover
from the situation without having to start completely over.
--- snip ---
Fatal Error: Bad rdiff-backup-data dir on destination side
The rdiff-backup data directory
/home/backup/typhoon/rdiff-backup-data
exists, but we cannot find a valid current_mirror marker. You can
avoid this message by removing the rdiff-backup-data directory;
however any data in it will be lost.
Probably this error was caused because the first rdiff-backup session
into a new directory failed. If this is the case it is safe to delete
the rdiff-backup-data directory because there is no important
information in it.
--- snip ---
/usr/local/bin/rdiff-backup --force --print-statistics
--exclude-globbing-filelist /root/cron_scripts/rdiff-backup.exclude /
_______________________________________________
http://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/rdiff-backup-users
Wiki URL: http://rdiff-backup.solutionsfirst.com.au/index.php/RdiffBackupWiki