Can't run a backup

[scotty321]

I have no idea what's going on here, because this script works for one media set but not the other one.

 

I have a script called "Nightly Backup" which is set to backup 2 local folders + 5 client machines. This script has 2 Disk Media Sets: Media Set A and Media Set B. Each one of these media sets have one member: External Hard Drive A and External Hard Drive B.

 

When I click on the "Run" button for this script, it asks me which media set I want to backup to. If I choose Media Set B (which should be backing up to External Hard Drive , it starts running the script just fine.

 

But if I choose Media Set B, it appears in the "Activities" pane as "Status: Waiting for server". Not sure why it's saying this. The server machine is where I'm controlling this from, and it's totally ready to go.

 

Then, if I go back to the scripts pane again and take a look at the script, it has added an entry for "Schedule" for December 31, 1969 at 4:00pm of Frequency "Once". Is this why it says "Waiting for Server"? Because it's waiting for the past date of December 31, 1969 to appear? Retrospect added this date & time on its own to the "Schedule" screen -- I didn't add that there.

 

Please help!

 

Thanks,

Scott

[scotty321]

Here's an update. The problem gets worse.

 

Now Retrospect is exhibiting the EXACT SAME PROBLEM for EITHER Media Set -- either Media Set A or Media Set B.

 

And the schedule for the script now lists multiple entries for December 31, 1969.

 

I was able to successfully backup ONCE with this script to Media Set B by clicking on the "Run" button, but now it seems like Retrospect will perform NO FURTHER BACKUPS at this point. It did it once, and now it's given up on backing up altogether.

 

What do I do?

[scotty321]

Further update: A restart of the server machine fixed the problem. (I am launching the Retrospect Console on the local server machine itself).

 

It cleared out the 1969 scripts on its own, and when I clicked on the "Run" button, it started running the script.

 

However, I do not know what will happen when this script is finished running. Looks like it'll take a few hours... I'll try to run the script again, but I expect the same problem to happen yet again.

 

Why is this happening?

 

Thanks.

[Mayoff]

Is server the name of a local disk? It sounds like Retrospect thought that disk was in use for a different backup operation and was waiting for that operation to finish. Did you have a prior backup that was manually stopped or failed?

[scotty321]

Yes, Server is the name of the local hard drive (instead of "Macintosh HD"), and "server" is the name of the local home folder, which is one of the "Favorite Folders" that I set in Retrospect. When it said it was waiting for server, it actually said "server" with a lowercase "s".

 

The prior backup which I manually ran to Media Set B completed with 44 errors. I looked at the log and these were minor execution errors. That was the only prior backup that had taken place in the previous 8 hours.

 

But before that, there were many many previous backups that had failed and had been manually stopped, as Retrospect wasn't operating properly. BUt all of those were removed from the "Activities" window at least 8 hour prior to the successful backup.

[Mayoff]

A restart of the server machine fixed the problem.

 

Prior to this restart, do you have any errors in the OS X console log?

 

Next time this type of thing happens, stopping the Retrospect Engine from system preferences should be easier then a system restart.

[Mayoff]

This is logged as bug 21794

[scotty321]

Prior to this restart, do you have any errors in the OS X console log?

 

Yes, it looks like ever since installing Retrospect 8 these error messages keep showing up repeatedly in the Console Log every 5 seconds. There's literally thousands of them. This is obviously disheartening:

 

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:09 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:14 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:14 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:14 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

4/1/09 2:07:14 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] Break on __THE_PROCESS_HAS_FORKED_AND_YOU_CANNOT_USE_THIS_COREFOUNDATION_FUNCTIONALITY___YOU_MUST_EXEC__() to debug.

4/1/09 2:07:14 PM com.apple.SystemStarter[30] The process has forked and you cannot use this CoreFoundation functionality safely. You MUST exec().

[Mayoff]

I have never seen that error before and I don't know what it means. I don't know if this is even directly caused by Retrospect. I will report it to engineering.

[scotty321]

Oh never mind on those console log errors. Turns out that I was experiencing Core Foundation errors that the guys at BusyMac helped me figure out. These errors are caused by old/incompatible apps in the Startup Items folder (like Now Up-To-Date and Contact). Turns out that I had an "NUDC" folder in the /Library/StartupItems folder, which is put there by installing Now Up-To-Date and Now Contact, even the very latest version. I moved that folder out of my startupitems folder, and the errors in the console log stopped showing up.

 

FYI, in case this helps troubleshoot why we can't run a backup without stopping/starting the Retrospect Engine, here is a list of the third-party products installed on this server machine. We only have 5 third-party programs installed:

 

- Retrospect 8

- FileMaker Server 9

- BusySync 2.1.9

- Now Up-To-Date and Now Contact

- Timbuktu Pro 8.7.1

 

Those are the only 3rd-party apps installed on this server, which is a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo iMac running 10.5.6.

 

Thanks.

[Mayoff]

I am checking to see if you are still experiencing this problem? What exact version of Retrospect are you currently using?

 

Did you previously have the Retrospect Beta installed? Have you tried new Retrospect preferences since this started?

 

[scotty321]

No Retrospect Beta. Just the release version of Retrospect 8. We've installed the latest Retrospect update on the server machine now, and it seems to be okay for now.