Media sets on a NAS

[zer0aster]

I have just started backing a 4TB USB disk (with 1.9 TB of data) to a NAS disk using a new install of Retrospect 10. I added the 4.5 TB NAS disk as a share and added it as a disk media set containing just one member, configured to use 90% of the available space. The backup got a good way through the process of backing up (1.7 TB) but then threw up an error saying "needs media". I created a new member to the set on the same disk, and it finished the backup after a couple of retries.

 

However, running the backup again it keeps demanding new media, even though the disk is not half full. As far as I can see it is configured to append to the media set, not to try to start on a new member. I wonder if I am missing something fundamental that is causing it to fail. I have read through the documentation but can't find anything that addresses this, as the "needs media" error seems to be more related to tape drives.

 

Any help appreciated!

[Daniels]

Usually this error occurs when Retrospect looses communication with the NAS. If the NAS is not directly attached to the computer you might want to make sure that the NAS is appearing on the network.

[BDMSTUDIOS]

@zer0aster:

 

This might solve your issue (#7): http://forums.retros...10-nas-trouble/

 

Goodluck and cheers!

[zer0aster]

@zer0aster:

 

This might solve your issue (#7): http://forums.retros...10-nas-trouble/

 

Goodluck and cheers!

Thanks BDMSTUDIOS for directing me there. Looking there I think CallMeDave's post explains what I am seeing somewhat:

Retrospect doesn't know about, nor care about, shared volumes you might access via Finder.app.

 

Retrospect always runs with a UserID 0, while most of the time as a Finder user you are running with a UserID of 501 or similar. And Mac OS X will not allow an application running under one user to have access to a volume mounted by an application running under a different user.

 

At the same time, Mac OS X does care about the names used for volumes mounted on the system. And it will not allow a name of a volume to be used more then once.

 

So a volume "Foo" that Retrospect mounts at startup will be attached at /Volumes/Foo/, while if you later use Finder.app to log into that same volume OS X will present it as /Volumes/Foo-1/

 

Retrospect will be able to read/write to the volume on the path /Volumes/Foo and you (in the Finder) will be able to read/write to the volume on the path /Volumes/Foo-1/, but each will not be allowed to read or write to the other.

 

And don't forget, if you should configure Retrospect to use a volume on a specific path, and later that path is not available, Retrospect will fail.

 

So if your initial configuration of Retrospect is done with /Volumes/Foo/ already mounted by the Finder, the same volume will be presented for Retrospect as /Volumes/Foo-1/ and written that way into the program's preferences.

 

Restart the system without doing anything in the Finder and Retrospect will no longer be able to find that shared volume; the path it has in its configuration is different then what OS X will provide.

 

But what I am now finding (by using Terminal to inspect /Volumes/) is that Retrospect does not automatically mount the shares it has been directed to! What I have to do is begin the verify media set process, and click on the little tape icon that appears when it can't find the share, and this triggers the mounting of all the shares it knows about, not just the one it needs. Any ideas anyone?

[Don Lee]

This looks like it might be the "NAS" problem. I posted a bug about it, with what I hope is useful information, and a possible workaround.

 

AFP mount broken in 10.1.0 (221) - OK in (187)