Can't access vol, error -556 (backup client: network interface unavailable)

[Kenjikay]

I've been using Retrospect 8 successfully, until I replaced my aging SMC Barricade router with a Linksys WRT310N Wireless-N v.2 Gigabit Router.

 

(I'm not using WiFi at all, all connections are wired Ethernet.)

 

Both Macs can see each other and connect for file sharing without any problem. But the Retrospect Mac client computer is not being backed up by the Retrospect server Mac, and the Server is reporting error, "Can't access volume XXX, error -556(backup client: network interface unavailable)"

 

I am sure this is due to firewall settings in the Linksys router.

 

Anyone familiar with Linksys routers able suggest what settings need to change to make this client/interface visible again to Retrospect...hopefully without weakening security from the internet?

 

This is a two Mac & one PC home network using this Linksys router and a Motorola cable modem on Comcast cable broadband. (I have not tried setting up the PC client yet.) Thanks in advance!

 

Cheers,

CB

 

[Mayoff]

Have you tried going into the Retrospect preferences for network to confirm that the network connection displayed is still valid? You could create a new one and login the clients with that new interface setting.

[Kenjikay]

Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

No, I have not (yet) tried looking at Retro network settings...but today after posting, backup completed successfully from that client for the first time since changing the router.

 

What changed? Numerous Apple updates applied this morning on server (including Snow Leopard 10.6.3) and on client (including Leopard Security Update. Client is a G4)

 

And of course both client and server were restarted, followed by manually making network connection from server to client via desktop file sharing (clicking on client in finder window sidebar on server, and opening one of the client disks in that window)

 

Being sure to have client disk mounted in server window seemed to resolve previous Retro error...

 

Script: XXX

Client: XXXDate: 1/14/2010

Can't access volume XXX, error -530 ( backup client not found)

 

That error -530 was plaguing me for weeks a couple months ago.

 

Was that solution (opening client disk in server window) real or superstition? Was it something else entirely?

 

This time with the -556 error, I'm sure just opening client disk on server did not work alone. Perhaps restarting both client and server had some effect?

 

I worries me to have fixed a problem by accident having little understanding what actually made the difference.

 

Any ideas??

 

 

[Tree]

Just to bump this a little bit, I recently had trouble with a script that was failing with the "error -556: network interface unavailable" message. I am still not sure what specifically triggered this, but here is how I resolved it.

 

I went to "Sources" and then clicked "Add", then typed in the IP and password. This is the same IP and password as had already been configured for the client, I haven't really changed any settings in over a year. But it successfully added the client back, and I could then Browse its contents, run the script, etc.

 

I should mention, too, that in trying to resolve this issue I had gone to the client itself and tried the COMMAND+turn off trick, to set the client to "Not Running" rather than "Turned Off". However, just doing that alone did not work. It wasn't until after the manual Add that things came back.

 

I noticed from the time of the last successful run of the script in question that it began failing after I did some things to the client computer when chasing an unrelated font corruption issue. I had used a tool called OnyX to wipe out font caches, and then restarted the machine. Error -556 began to be reported ever after that point. I'm not sure if there is any real causal relationship there, but I do know that OnyX likes to check hard drive SMART status when it runs, and it can do a lot more than just zap a font cache, though I only used it for that purpose.