REV Backup media directory being overwritten

[CharlieRieger]

I use IOMega Rev disks as removeable backup media for OS X 10.4.6, Retrospect 6.1.126. I have now seen in two separate instances a situation where a disk seems to be having its directory information overwritten. In each case, when attempting to restore an old file from a backupset (lets call it Dec05) and another disk is in the drive (lets call it May06), Retrospects properly prompts for the Dec05 disk. If the May06 dis is ejected from the finder, all is well. However, if we use Retropspect to eject the May06 disk, and then insert the Dec05 disk, both the Finder and Retrospect see this Dec05 disk as May06.

 

 

 

Retrospect then reports that this May06 disk (the disk formely known as Dec05) has corrupt content, and refuses to work with it. The original May06 disk is fine, but I've had no luck retrieving the Dec05 disk.

 

 

 

Essentially, I've lost my Dec05 data simply by ejecting one disk and inserting another.

 

 

 

Since the new May06 disk (the disk formely known as Dec05) shows exactly the same information (size, backup date/time, etc) as the real May06 disk, I'm assuming that the directory information on Dec05 is being overwritten with the data from May06. Hopefully, this means that i may actually be able to recover my Dec05 data.

 

 

 

Two questions then:

 

1. Has anyone else seen this behaviour (or is willing to independantly verify it)

 

2. What are my options for trying to recover this lost data? Disk Utility say the disk is fine, even though it clearly is not.

[CallMeDave]

Sounds like a pretty serious software bug; can you provide _complete_ steps to reproduce it?

 

If you copy the Retrospect data file off the corrupt disk, format a new disk with the correct name, and copy the Retrospect data file to it, how does the program react?

[CharlieRieger]

If I copy the data file off, format a new disk, and copy the data file back, Retrospect see the data file as damaged. Also, the data file is exacly the same size (byte size) as the May06. This is very confusing to me, as it appears that the two disks are now clones of each other, at least as far as the directory is concerned. Disk utility even shows them both having the same Universal Unique identifier...

 

I'd hoped that Disk Warrior might be able to rebuild the drirectory, but it didn't.

 

This problem does not happen all the time (or I would never have been able to do any backups and restors to REV disks) but when it has, the scenario was as follows:

 

1. Do an immediate backup of files on a Windos 2000 server client to a REV disk.

 

2. After the backup finishes, initiate an restore from a different backup set.

 

3. When Retrospect promts for the mew media, eject the current disk from with Retrospects dialogue box.

 

4. Insert the new REV disk, and watch it appear as the previous one.

 

Each backup set was created as a backup to removeable media, and each had several members.

[CallMeDave]

> If I copy the data file off, format a new disk, and copy the data file back, Retrospect see

>the data file as damaged

 

Just to be clear, you would have to name the new disk with the correct name for Retrospect to accept it as a valid Backup Set Member.

 

What I'd suggest, if you don't get a reply from one of the EMCInsignia employees who pop in here from time to time, is to open a Tech Support Incident. If you've discovered a true software defect (as opposed to some configuration problem) you can request a refund of your fee.

 

Dave