Client too slow error when using Backup Server

[Conformance]

I'm getting client too slow errors trying to back up a Mac Mini over an Airport network to a G4 running Retrospect 6.1.

 

The errors only happen when trying to use a backup server script. If I try to back up the same machine using an immediate back up or a normal scheduled back-up script it works fine.

 

The full error message is as follows:

 

The backup client is too slow (measured 0 KB/sec, threshold 50 KB/sec)

 

I'm running the latest client software (6.2.234) and I've tried uninstalling and re-installing it with no effect on the problem.

 

The machine has just done a normal scheduled backup and the performance was 67.8 MB/minute so I don't see that there actually anything wrong with the network/connection.

 

I note that when the Backup Server is doing its initial scan, it says the performance is 0.0 KB/min and I wonder if this could be connected to the problem.

 

I can live with this particular machine being on a scheduled back up rather than a Backup Server script so I'm mainly posting this message in the hope that the scheduled backup workaround might be helpful to someone else since I have been puzzling over this problem for days and could not find any other useful information or posting on the topic in the KB or forums. However, it's niggling when things don't work as expected so if anyone knows a cure for the original problem, I'd be interested to hear it.

 

Nick.

[rhwalker]

Nick,

 

You mention the client version but not your Retrospect version. Without knowing how old your Retrospect is, it's hard to tell if it has the "secret preference" for changing this setting.

 

Have you tried disabling this test in the secret preferences?

 

Special >

Hold down the option key, click the Preferences button,

select "Client",

Change the threshold to 0 (MB/minute).

 

The risk is that the backup may hang if the client crashes.

 

The solution is a faster network connection. Consider using a wired connection to the Mini.

 

Russ

[Conformance]

It's Retrospect 6.1 (as it says in the first line of my post!)

 

Setting the client threshold to zero does allow the backup server script to go ahead but this is really only another work-around rather than a solution to the basic problem and, as you say, exposes the system to the risk of a hang-up if the client crashes. The scheduled back-up work-around I'm already using is better in this regard.

 

As noted in my original post the client achieves 67MB/min during a normal backup so the network speed is not really the issue. I have seen the same problem between a Macbook Pro and the backup server using a gigabit wired connection which under other circumstances achieves over 500MB/min, although that problem went away after re-starting the client and the server.

 

Something odd is happening with the backup server/client relationship on the Mac Mini and it would be good to know what it is.

 

Nick.

[rhwalker]

It's Retrospect 6.1 (as it says in the first line of my post!)

Sorry, Nick, that's not enough information. Yes, I read the first line of your post, but I was inquiring about the specific release of Retrospect 6.1.[color:red]xxx[/color].

 

The last released version was 6.1.230, available here:

Retrospect 6.1 updates

 

Whatever the cause is, don't expect any further updates to Retrospect 6.x to appear because that product is dead.

 

Russ

[Conformance]

It's 6.1.230, with the latest driver update and the latest client.

 

Nick.

[rhwalker]

Ok, then you've got the best there is.

 

Russ

[twickland]

The full error message is as follows:

 

The backup client is too slow (measured 0 KB/sec, threshold 50 KB/sec)

There are a number of things that can cause client speed to measure zero. In the past (I haven't checked recently to see if it's still the case with the latest client version), selecting Link Encryption in the client configuration would block Retrospect's ability to measure Macintosh client speed, at least in our network. More recently, we've found that we can't measure client speed with a few of our client systems. I haven't investigated this too deeply, but superficially at least, there doesn't seem to be an obvious pattern to the affected clients.

 

You can easily see whether Retrospect is able to measure the speed of a specific client by going to Configure> Clients> and doing a Get Info on the client. The problematic clients will show a speed of 0.

 

If you wanted to retain the ability to set a speed threshold for the majority of your clients, I'd suggest creating a separate backup script for those clients whose speed you're unable to measure.