Can't log in, error 505 (client is reserved)

[amccarty]

I'm getting the error "Can't log in, error 505 (client is reserved)" when I attempt to connect to an OS X machine running 5.0.528 of the client. I have this client running on other machines and it's working fine. Any suggestions other than uninstalling, rebooting, reinstalling? Server is 5.0 on OS X.

 

 

 

 

 

-Alan

[amccarty]

Any ideas on this error? I'm off and on able to attach to this server and back it up, but most of the time I get "disconnected" during a backup and get this error. I then have to go through a series of reboots, installs, uninstalls, etc. before I can get Retrospect to successfully communicate with the box. This happens to be a mail server, so uptime is critical.

 

-Alan

[IrenaS]

Did you ever have the Beta or Preview client on this machine?

[amccarty]

Irena-

 

I did have the preview client on the server, is that a problem? BTW, backup ran fine last night but I'm confident I'll get the error again.

 

Thanks-

 

Alan

[IrenaS]

If you had the old public beta installed, you need to remove it using the uninstall instructions in the release notes.

 

 

 

If you had the Preview client installed, you need to remove it using the Preview uninstaller.

 

 

 

Remnants of either are likely to cause this problem.

 

 

 

Irena

[BiG]

I had this happen a couple times on my OS X server box, especially during the, um, testing phase of Retro 5.

 

 

 

The only way I found to fix it was go to the actual OS X box, open retrospect client, then turn it off and back on. That frees it up. It appears that if a problem is encountered during a backup of an OS X client, the client doesn't get told that the problem happend and thinks it is still being backed up.

 

 

 

Hope that helps.

[murphyatgenome]

Please fix this problem, Dantz. I never installed a preview version and I am experiencing the problem.

 

 

 

User of 5.0.203 on OS X 10.1.4. Problem backing up a 10.1.4 client running 5.0.

 

 

 

 

[dkatz42]

This happened to me constantly in 4.3; I ended up having to implement an Applescript to turn the client off and back on again at 24 hour intervals. Dantz never seemed to do anything other than pointing me at the workaround (which I had to write myself.) Sloppy.

[IrenaS]

What version of the client?

 

 

 

What OS?

 

 

 

When does this happen?

 

 

 

Have you tried killing the client process (hold down the option key while you turn the client off) and then turning the client back on?

[gkjapan]

I've just tried turning off the Retrospect client by both holding down the option key and not holding it down. Both ways, I get the spinning rainbow disc and have to force quit it. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling, but it doesn't help. Any suggestions?

[CallMeDave]

've just tried turning off the Retrospect client by both holding down the option key and not holding it down. Both ways, I get the spinning rainbow disc and have to force quit it. I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling, but it doesn't help. Any suggestions?

 

 

 

I'd suggest posting an other message here with every single bit of information you can give regarding your setup and your experiences!

 

 

 

- If you look in the Process Viewer do you see the "pitond" process running (that's the client daemon)?

 

- Did you have any of the pre-release versions of Retrospect?

 

- If you kill the pitod process from the Terminal will the Client application quit cleanly?

 

- What's your hardware? All of it.

 

- If you reboot the Mac and then go directly to the Retrospect Client application do you get the spinning rainbow disc? If not, when exactly do you get it?

 

 

 

Tell us MORE!

 

 

 

David

[murphyatgenome]

Irena,

 

 

 

My client is 5.0.528 running on OS X 10.1.4. The server is Retrospect Workgroup Mac 5.0.203 running on OS X 10.1.4, although the problem might have begun before I upgraded the server software to .203. Note that both of these machines might have been running 10.1.3 at the time the problem started. Unfortunately, I don't have accurate records.

 

 

 

I already uninstalled (you should include a program for doing this!) and reinstalled the client, so the problem is not happening anymore. If it recurs, I will take detailed and accurate notes.

 

 

 

Here are some possibly inaccurate notes based on memory: when I tried to set the client to the "off" state, the client would hang forever with the spinning pointer icon, requiring a forced quit. When I reran the client manually, the off radio button was selected, but the Status field still indicated that it was in mid-operation. I never rebooted the machine because I am running server software that needs to stay up.

 

 

 

On the server side, I would get "Error 519 (network communication failed)" when retrospect tried to back up the problem machine. When I told Retro 5.0 server to "forget" this client and then try to re-login the client, it complained that the client was already reserved. I reinstalled the client by running:

 

sudo rm /var/root/Library/Preferences/retroclient.state

 

and then rerunning the installer.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin Murphy

 

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

 

 

 

 

[IrenaS]

5.0.528 is the Preview client. This needs to be completely uninstalled. Restart and reinstall the shipping client, 5.0.198.

 

 

 

There is a preview uninstaller on our website at:

 

 

 

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=preview_uninstall

 

 

 

The problem you reported is a bug with the Preview client and should not be present in the shipping client version.

 

 

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

 

 

Irena Solomon

 

Dantz Tech Support

[murphyatgenome]

Irena,

 

 

 

Thanks. I am using the client that Arleen King told me to download on March 29th: ftp://ftp.dantz.com/pub/fp/clients_mac_50_1usr.sit.'>ftp://ftp.dantz.com/pub/fp/clients_mac_50_1usr.sit. Which client package should I download instead?

 

 

 

In late March I purchased Retrospect Workgroup for Mac and was sent 4.3 instead of 5.0. When I contacted Dantz, I received the e-mail which is included below.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

Kevin

 

 

 

- - - - -

 

 

 

Dear Kevin,

 

 

 

Thank you for choosing Retrospect! Your new license code is:

 

 

 

Retro Workgroup (20) - Mac

 

...

 

 

 

Retrospect will prompt you for this license code on first launch.

 

 

 

To download Retrospect Workgroup 5.0 (20MB) and the client software please click here:

 

 

 

ftp://ftp.dantz.com/pub/updates/workgroup_50_upgrade.sit

 

ftp://ftp.dantz.com/pub/fp/clients_mac_50_1usr.sit

 

 

 

Your Dantz customer number is:

 

 

 

40283700

 

 

 

Please reference this number whenever you contact us.

 

 

 

In addition to the documentation you'll receive with your download, we have several online resources to assist you with using your software. For general information about Retrospect 5.0 and OS X support, visit www.dantz.com.

 

 

 

If there is anything else we can do to further assist you, please call Dantz Customer Service at 800.225.4880 Monday-Thursday 6-5, Friday 6-4 Pacific Time.

 

 

 

Best Regards,

 

 

 

Arleen

 

Dantz Customer Service

 

http://www.dantz.com

 

 

[CallMeDave]

5.0.528 is the Preview client. This needs to be completely uninstalled. Restart and reinstall the shipping client, 5.0.198.

 

 

 

I believe that Irena got it wrong (see? There's a first for everything!). I do believe that 5.0.528 is current (it's the one I'm running, but I think I got mine from the same ftp URL that you mentioned).

 

 

 

I never rebooted the machine because I am running server software that needs to stay up

 

 

 

As so many servers do. The beauty of Unix is that you can kill and restart processes individually, without having to reboot the entire OS.

 

 

 

The Retrospect client process is called "pitond." It has a Process ID number, which you can find in the ProcessViewer utility.

 

 

 

Armed with the process ID, you can use the terminal to kill it by typing:

 

 

 

sudo kill process_ID_number (not those words, the actual number)

 

 

 

Then you can turn it back on from the Retrospect Client program window.

 

 

 

Dave

[murphyatgenome]

Dave,

 

 

 

Thanks for the reply. I noticed that the version numbers did not seem to jibe with the assertion that .528 was the Preview version. In this case, there is still more work to be done on the OS X client by Dantz.

 

 

 

-Kevin

[gkjapan]

OK, I have been doing a lot of experimenting, and I have finally made some progress. I wiped the server clean, and reinstalled everything, just to have the problem appear again. However, if I restart the server, I can access the server from the "Configure" panel. I've found in other threads that Retrospect 5.0 has a problem with special Characters. Well that appears to be my problem as well. Instead of backing up the whole server, I find that if I only backup certain folders that the backup works fine. I am in the process now of trying to find out which folders are causing the problem. When I get to a folder that causes an error, the log usually gives a -43 can't find file error. And then I have to restart the server in order to get things working again. I can't seem to turn off the Retrospect client. If I try to, I still get the spinning rainbow CD. I looked in the Process Viewer, and cannot even quit the pitond process from there. When I try to, it says that it can only be quit by the root user. When I then log in as root and try to quit pitond, it just never disapears. The only thing I'm running is OS X Server so I don't think it's a software conflict. So anyway, I've just been kicking everyone off and restarting. When is Retrospect going to fix the special character problem? Please don't reply and say that it is Apple's fault, because I know that other people have proved to Dantz that items that can be copied in the Finder are causing hangups in Retrospect. I guess for the meantime, I'm just going to have to continue trying to figure out where the odd characters are and change them.

[CallMeDave]

Poked in the Process Viewer, and cannot even quit the pitond process from there. When I try to, it says that it can only be quit by the root user. When I then log in as root and try to quit pitond, it just never disapears.

---

 

Instead of logging into the Aqua Finder as Root, this is a perfect time to use Terminal.app to do your root tasks.

 

 

 

First, use ProcessViewer to get the Process ID (note this number)

 

Next, open Terminal and type :

 

sudo -s

 

Then enter your password at the prompt (assuming that you're logged in as an admin user)

 

You now have a shell session as root.

 

 

 

Finally, type:

 

kill process_ID_you_noted_above (no, not that text, but the actual number)

 

 

 

That _should_ do it. Type:

 

top

 

and see if you see 'pitond' in the list.

 

 

 

Dave

[Sheppard]

gkjapan: I've just tried turning off the Retrospect client by both holding down the option key and not holding it down. Both ways, I get the spinning rainbow disc and have to force quit it.

 

 

 

I found that it was the command key that works.

 

 

 

If I just click on the Off button, the client hangs and I have to force quit it. When I launch it again, the client says it's off (which it isn't because the server still says it's reserved). The command-Off then release the command button and click 'On' works every time.

 

 

 

When I say "every time" what I mean is that if the server aborts a backup, I get this situation every time. Even if I click the stop button on the server to do a graceful abort. I then get a Net Retry and eventually the server gives up (although I don't wait for that anymore since I know what's going to happen anyway). The client is now reserved until I turn it off and on. This is 100% consistent.

 

 

 

...Tom

 

 

 

Configuration:

 

X client: PB G3 400 w/ 10.1.4

 

Server: G4/450 w/ 9.2.2

 

 

[CallMeDave]

In reply to:

---

if the server aborts a backup, I get this situation every time. Even if I click the stop button on the server to do a graceful abort. I then get a Net Retry and eventually the server gives up (although I don't wait for that anymore since I know what's going to happen anyway). The client is now reserved until I turn it off and on. This is 100% consistent.

---

 

 

 

Here's what I just tried:

 

 

 

Retrospect 5.0.205 on G4/733 OS X 10.1.4

 

Retrospect client 5.0.528 on PowerBook G3 Series OS X 10.1.4

 

Each machine on different VLAN of same physical LAN. Client added via direct address.

 

 

 

- Immediate Backup of defined subvolumes on client to File Backup Set

 

 

 

- Client status reads :In use by root, Immediate Backup

 

- Disconnect ethernet cable from PowerBook

 

- Client status briefly changes to Not Running (radio button shows off), then changes to Ready (radio button shows on).

 

 

 

- Retrospect application gives NetRetry

 

- Click "Stop" in the NetRetry box exits the backup gracefully.

 

 

 

What are the steps that you're doing?

 

 

 

Dave

 

 

[Sheppard]

In the middle of a backup I decide I don't want to continue since my backups slog along at 4 MB/min. On the server, I click the Stop button and I immediately get the Net Retry and then the X client remains reserved.

 

 

 

The X client is a PB G3 400 Bronze w/ 10.1.4 and the server is a G4/450 w/ 9.2.2.

[CallMeDave]

In reply to:

---

In the middle of a backup I decide I don't want to continue since my backups slog along at 4 MB/min. On the server, I click the Stop button and I immediately get the Net Retry and then the X client remains reserved.

---

 

 

 

I tried from both OS 9 and OS X. In both cases I was able to click the "Stop" button in the Execution window without any problem. The client gracefully stopped and displayed a dialog box that the execution was stopped by operator.

 

 

 

But I tried a different test, similar to my one outlined above. Instead of removing the Ethernet cable from the back of the client PowerBook, I removed the network cable from the back of the G4 running Retrospect under OS X, and from the side of the iMac running Retrospect under OS 9.

 

 

 

Results:

 

 

 

- Net retry dialog came up after two minutes

 

- Execution incomplete (error 519) after 4 more minutes

 

 

 

- Client Status remained "in use by "root" for Immediate Backup" for a total of10 minutes from the time the cable was removed, then reverted back to "Ready."

 

 

 

- Clicking the Client's "off" button gave me the spinning beachball for 5 minutes, then chaged Status to "not running"

 

 

 

- Pressing Command+Off immediatly killed the client process with no beachball.

 

 

 

So, although it takes quite a while, both the Retrospect application (under 9 and X) and the OS X Client seem to have behaved correctly in my tests (other then clicking "off" _without_ the Command modifier key resulted in a Status of "not running" instead of the expected "off").

 

 

 

Dave