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Annoying remote client problem


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I have have an OS X client PB running the latest remote version (240, I think). It has an annoying problem inasmuch as it never updates itself to to indicate that it's been backed up. I continually get alerts of "You have not been backed up since November 11, 2002" and there have been all manner of backups since then.

Where is this date kept and how can I fix it? Thanks.

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Quote:

The data in the History field lives in:

 

/private/var/log/retroclient.history

 

I don't know what triggers the alert dialogs.

 

You could check the permissons of the above mentioned file. It should be:

 

-rw-r--r-- root/wheel

 


_______

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 0 Apr 22 21:21 retroclient.history

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 701 Apr 24 20:48 retroclient.log

-rw-r--r-- 1 root wheel 76 Apr 4 22:05 retropds.log

 

 

 

Grrr. History empty and log doesn't say much. I have tried reinstalling the client, and tried modifying the prefs and checking changed dates but I still couldn't find anything.

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Try setting up a test backup of this client machine (or selected data on client). While the backup is running take a look at the client control panel - does it indicate that it is in use? When the backup completes, does the client control panel update itself?

 

Is this a dual boot system?

 

 

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Quote:

Try setting up a test backup of this client machine (or selected data on client). While the backup is running take a look at the client control panel - does it indicate that it is in use? When the backup completes, does the client control panel update itself?

 

Is this a dual boot system?

 

 

 


Yeah, it shows the standard messages (ready, backup in by root, etc) and then nothing is saved when the backup's done. The backup I did last night got hung up on backing up retropods and finished with one error. Dunno if that's a factor or not.

It is a dual boot system inasmuch as it CAN boot into OS9, but it never does.

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I have the same problem, backing up using Retrospect Desktop 5.0.238 on OS 9.1 from a Retrospect Client 5.0.540 on OS X 10.2.5.

 

I've updated the history file myself, so I won't get the anoying messages this week.

Furthermore I've deleted the two logfiles.

 

I'll update with results after the next backup.

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Quote:

I have the same problem

 


 

 

More information is going to be needed on this one.

 

- Have you run the Repair Permissions routine from Disk Utility?

 

- Is the .history file modified at all after backups?

 

 

>>I've updated the history file myself, so I won't get the

>>anoying messages this week

 

You can modify the Preferences in the Client, either to wait longer or to not alert you at all.

 

 

Dave

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Als antwoord op:

More information is going to be needed on this one.

 

- Have you run the Repair Permissions routine from Disk Utility?

 


I run them regularly and I did right after reading this topic.

 

Als antwoord op:

- Is the .history file modified at all after backups?

 


Not always. I would say about 50% of the time or less.

I checked the security settings for the three files and they are the same as shown in this thread.

 

Als antwoord op:

>>I've updated the history file myself, so I won't get the

>>anoying messages this week

 

You can modify the Preferences in the Client, either to wait longer or to not alert you at all.

 


I know, but this is the second week I didn't get an update to the history file. And what's the use of setting the wait to 1 month or so? So although it surely isn't the prefered way, it's a workarround which puts the value back in reminding me after 1 week.

 

What might be helpfull for you is the end of the backup process. I'm backing up to a tape drive and I always get the "retropds.22" error somewhere in the backup. (When will a fix for that one be available?) After writing all data to tape, the catalog gets updated. At that moment the status on the Retrospect Client changes from "In use by ..." to the normal state. (A test backup is running right now, so I can't get the real message.) I get the feeling that the Retrospect Client is "dismissed" by Retrospect Desktop at that point, so it stops listening for messages.

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The backup I mentioned before has just finished. This time I received a pop-up message on the client saying the backup finished with 1 error. It also updated the history.

The status at the client is now "Ready", but it changed to this only after I dismissed the pop-up message. So it looks like this time the server and the client remained in contact while the server was updating the catalog.

 

Please check this thread as it might give a hint about the effects of Norton Anti Virus and Retrospect and also shows what I've changed on the server.

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Quote:

What might be helpfull for you is the end of the backup process. I'm backing up to a tape drive and I always get the "retropds.22" error somewhere in the backup. (When will a fix for that one be available?) After writing all data to tape, the catalog gets updated. At that moment the status on the Retrospect Client changes from "In use by ..." to the normal state. (A test backup is running right now, so I can't get the real message.) I get the feeling that the Retrospect Client is "dismissed" by Retrospect Desktop at that point, so it stops listening for messages.

 


 

What about the compare stage? After Retrospect updates the catalog it should begin the compare. What does the log on the backup server say? Does it indicate that the client compare is successful and does the server log conclude with its usage stats (how long it took for each part)? This is the last thing it should be writing. Anything less and the process is being interupted in the middle.

 

Is the client allowed to sleep by any chance? (It doesn't sound like it if you are watching the client control panel, but it's worth asking.) If the Energy system pane allows the client to sleep, the client will immediately go to sleep after backing up the data and before it can go through the compare phase. The reason is that the activity keeps it awake while it is writing the data, but the sleep timer expires anyway (which seems really odd to me), so the instant the activity stops (which is while Retrospect is updating the catalog) the client will slip into a coma. If the compare is never done, then it's not rated as a successful backup and I'm sure the history will not be updated. The symptoms, though, will be a log entry on the Retrospect server saying the client was no longer visible on the network. What does the backup report on the server say about the times and status of backups of this machine? Make sure you tell it to show all events, not just successful ones.

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Als antwoord op:

What about the compare stage?

 


I've chosen not to compare the backup with the disk. Backing up my iBook takes about 4 hours without compare.

 

Als antwoord op:

Is the client allowed to sleep by any chance? (It doesn't sound like it if you are watching the client control panel, but it's worth asking.) If the Energy system pane allows the client to sleep, the client will
immediately
go to sleep after backing up the data and
before
it can go through the compare phase. The reason is that the activity keeps it awake while it is writing the data, but the sleep timer expires anyway (which seems really odd to me), so the instant the activity stops (which is while Retrospect is updating the catalog) the client will slip into a coma. If the compare is never done, then it's not rated as a successful backup and I'm sure the history will not be updated. The symptoms, though, will be a log entry on the Retrospect server saying the client was no longer visible on the network. What does the backup report on the server say about the times and status of backups of this machine? Make sure you tell it to show all events, not just successful ones.

 


 

I'm using iBeezz to define a wake-up - sleep interval so my iBook has enough time to be awake when Retrospect is doing it's job. I also connect the power adapter during backups. But that offcourse doesn't mean the iBook will never go to sleep!

 

Yesterday I made two backups from my iBook. During these backups, the iBook never went to sleep.

The results in the logfile on the server are identical for botch backups, stating a backup was made with 1 execution errors (the retropds.22 file). Similar results are present for those days I didn't get an update on the iBook history. However, I'm not sure wether or not the iBook might have gone to sleep during the updating of the catalog. This is something I'll be monitoring next week.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Quote:

I'm backing up to a tape drive and I always get the "retropds.22" error somewhere in the backup. (When will a fix for that one be available?)

 


 

 

 

The cause of this error will be fixed in the next release of Retrospect.

 

 

 

-PJ

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A revision of the Mac Client was released along with the just-announced Retrospect 6.5 for Windows that contains a fix for this defect. I can't give you a date for the release of the next Mac product, but if you can't wait you can go to the Dantz Web Site and download a trial version of 6.5 and get the Mac Client that way.

 

 

 

Hope this helps,

 

PJ

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Dantz has released an update to the Retrospect Client software for Mac OS X. This update is compatible with Retrospect 5.0 for Macintosh as well as Retrospect 6.5 for Windows.

 

Changes made the new Macintosh client software include improved memory management on the client computer as well as a fix for the error -40 File positioning for retropds.22.

 

The new client installer can be downloaded from:

 

ftp://ftp.dantz.com/pub/cs/mac_client_5_1.sit

 

Thanks,

 

Dantz Technical Support

 

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