Can't see hidden files in Windows GUI from OSX client

[dglcinc]

Hi:

 

I have a WinXP SP2 machine with backup disks and five-client Retro 7.5 desktop (7.5.387 + 7.5.13.100 hotfix) and a Mac OSX Leopard Intel Core Duo running Retro client 6.1.130. On the mac the Retro client is running as root and I have the root account set up to show all hidden files (. files, special dirs in the root such as /etc, /tmp, NFS mounts, etc.)

 

Here is the problem I am having. In the Windows desktop, I browse to the mac client in the Manage Scripts > edit pane to add sources to my script. I want to back up several folders including an NFS-mounted filesystem (mounted at /home.) I am trying to do this by adding them as subvolumes under the client in the Sources browser. The Mac's hard disk shows up as a volume for the client, but when I try to add a subvolume, the browser shows only the "basic" files and folders in the root directory, not everything.

 

How do I get these folders to show up in the subvolume browser for the client, so I can add them to my backup sources from the Mac client. Alternatively, is there some other way to accomplish this?

 

By the way, the REAL reason I am trying to do this is to use Retrospect to back up my NetGear Readynas, which is NFS-mounted to my Mac. For some strange reason, Netgear provides a copy of Retrospect, but no Readynas client! The ReadyNas is running debian Sarge on a sparc architecture. If I could have a retro client compiled for debian sarge under sparc so I could install and run on ReadyNas I would be in Hog Heaven!

 

Thanks for help with either the Mac or the ReadyNas client.

 

David

[Mayoff]

You are trying to backup a network resources via the client, which is not supported.

 

If you want to backup the NetGear, then directly add it as a source to the backup server.

 

http://video.emcinsignia.com/retrospect/...ed%20drives.wmv

 

You may also want http://kb.dantz.com/article.asp?article=9637&p=2

 

Also, the Retrospect client runs as Root by default. No need to login as root or even have the root account active.

[dglcinc]

Interesting, I was able to make network resource via client backup to work via a Linux client... Works OK, although slower than a client.

 

Anyway, I still have two issues:

 

1. I cannot see all the subdirs of the root filesystem on the Mac's hard disk in the client browser. How do I make them appear so I can selectively back them up?

 

2. Your volume approach for Netgear backup works, however this is via CIFS. I want to preserve UNIX ownership and permissions for all files, since the NAS is used primarily to serve UNIX files. If I back up through a CIFS share, I'll lose all those file attributes right? Or am I missing something?

 

3. Bonus question: any chance of getting a Retrospect client for the ReadyNas? All I need is a client compiled with Debian Sarge on Sparc...

[Mayoff]

Retrospect can not backup the permissions from any volume accessed over filesharing. It doesn't matter if you do the backup via a client or through a direct login to the backup server. We can not copy permissions from a ReadyNAS.

 

I have NEVER heard of someone not being able to see sub directories or other Mac OS data. Retrospect should be able to see everything the root user can see. Are you having trouble accessing something specific? What can't you find?

 

Retrospect Client for ReadyNAS? Maybe, but not any time in the near future.

 

>All I need is a client compiled with Debian Sarge on Sparc...

 

Ya, that sounds easy but it isn't as simple as running a compile. It would require very heavy engineering, testing and QA time before it could be released. The only sparc hardware we support is Solaris.

[dglcinc]

OK, now I see that all the stuff I'm missing in the client browser (subvolume panel on the retro desktop) are "special" types -- symlinks, network mounts, etc. Presumably the client is not going to show me those.

 

I'm backsliding a little bit here with my backup solution because I used to have a Linux PC with a software RAID array as my file server, which I backed up to the Retro windows machine quite happily with the Linux client. Now that I replaced this Linux machine with the NAS I'm at a bit of a loss for backup solution that gets me what I had before, no loss of UNIX filesystem info and no brainer.

 

Interestingly, the linux client can see and perform actions on NFS network shares -- that's how I did the initial restore of my linux raid partition backup to the NAS (slow but workable) -- I mounted the NFS NAS share on the Linux machine and then restored to the share.

 

It would be kind of cool for EMC to open-source the client so other platforms that you won't support can be supported by the marketplace, but I get the sense that ain't gonna happen...

 

Hmmm...rsync?

[rhwalker]

rsync is broken on Mac OS X. Does not preserve all metadata, regardless of what the documentation says, even with -E.

[dglcinc]

Have tried numerous ugly options, such as running Ubuntu or Suse under Innotek Virtualbox on my PC backup server, backing up to virtual drives, etc. PUKE! Retrospect is a great product but lack of the ReadyNas client or some other way to do a reliable backup of UNIX filesystems is a serious crimp. Don't ask me why the client can't be open, so anything and everything can backup to a Retro controller. I really don't want to dive in to the deep geeking required to get Bacula or Amanda working. I have resorted to a USB attached drive with rsync (ssh into the Readynas and rsync to the attached USB drive.) Good backup for a home NAS should not be this hard!