Problem: Done, no backup needed

Hi, the syslog shows that rsync is the problem. It is returning the value 256 (-1), and then backintime responds to this as job done, instead of flagging an error. I have no idea why there is an rsync error though: More rsync details:-
rsync version 2.6.9 protocol version 29
Copyright (C) 1996-2006 by Andrew Tridgell, Wayne Davison, and others.
<http://rsync.samba.org/>
Capabilities: 64-bit files, socketpairs, hard links, symlinks,
              batchfiles, inplace, IPv6, ACLs,
              64-bit system inums, 64-bit internal inums

I have checked the syslog from the last good backup and it appears that backintime is now using a different command:-

May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Lock
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Include folders: ['/bin', '/boot', '/data', '/etc', '/home', '/lib', '/opt', '/root', '/sbin', '/srv', '/usr', '/var']
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Ignore folders: []
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Last snapshots: {}
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: [GnomeTakeSnapshotCallback.run]
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: [GnomeTakeSnapshotCallback.run] begin loop
May 8 10:00:02 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Compare with old snapshot: 20090501-152915
May 8 10:05:03 john-ubuntu backintime (john): WARNING: Command "rsync -a -i --dry-run --whole-file --delete --include="/bin/" --include="/boot/" --include="/data/" --include="/etc/" --include="/home/" --include="/lib/" --include="/opt/" --include="/root/" --include="/sbin/" --include="/srv/" --include="/usr/" --include="/var/" --exclude="*.backup*" --exclude="*~" --exclude="/home/john/smb4k" --exclude="/proc" --exclude="/tmp" --exclude="/media" --include="/bin/**" --include="/boot/**" --include="/data/**" --include="/etc/**" --include="/home/**" --include="/lib/**" --include="/opt/**" --include="/root/**" --include="/sbin/**" --include="/srv/**" --include="/usr/**" --include="/var/**" --exclude="*" / "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/20090501-152915/backup/"" returns 5888
May 8 10:05:04 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Create hard-links

whereas now it uses:-

May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Lock
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Include folders: ['/bin', '/boot', '/data', '/etc', '/home', '/lib', '/opt', '/root', '/sbin', '/srv', '/usr', '/var']
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Ignore folders: []
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Last snapshots: {}
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Compare with old snapshot: 20090508-100002
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): WARNING: Command "rsync -aEAX -i --dry-run --chmod=Fa-w,D+w --whole-file --delete --exclude="/media/Toshiba_1TB" --exclude="/home/john/.local/share/backintime" --include="/bin/" --include="/boot/" --include="/data/" --include="/etc/" --include="/home/" --include="/lib/" --include="/opt/" --include="/root/" --include="/sbin/" --include="/srv/" --include="/usr/" --include="/var/" --exclude="*.backup*" --exclude="*~" --exclude="/home/john/smb4k" --exclude="/proc" --exclude="/tmp" --exclude="/media" --include="/bin/**" --include="/boot/**" --include="/data/**" --include="/etc/**" --include="/home/**" --include="/lib/**" --include="/opt/**" --include="/root/**" --include="/sbin/**" --include="/srv/**" --include="/usr/**" --include="/var/**" --exclude="*" / "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/20090508-100002/backup/"" returns 256
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Nothing changed, no back needed
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): WARNING: No new snapshot (not needed or error)
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Remove backups older than: 19990529-000000
May 29 10:00:01 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Keep min free disk space: 51200 Mb
May 29 10:00:03 john-ubuntu backintime (john): INFO: Unlock

I tried rsync -aEAX on the command line and it says:-
sync: -aEAX: unknown option

It does not appear to have "X" in its options. I then tried the whole command line backitime used but without the X, this chugged away for a while, and appeared to start deleting files! (I stopped it quickly!) :-

*deleting data/Win2000/Win2000.vmx.lck/M35402.lck
*deleting data/Win2000/Win2000.vmx.lck/
*deleting data/Win2000/W2000.vmdk.lck/M01987.lck
*deleting data/Win2000/W2000.vmdk.lck/
*deleting data/Win2000/564d30be-767d-7cb8-ce4c-f11d05537679.vmem.lck/M04036.lck
*deleting data/Win2000/564d30be-767d-7cb8-ce4c-f11d05537679.vmem.lck/
*deleting data/Win2000/564d30be-767d-7cb8-ce4c-f11d05537679.vmem
*deleting data/WinXP/Windows XP Professional-000002.vmdk.lck/
*deleting data/WinXP/Windows XP Professional-Snapshot4.vmsn
*deleting data/WinXP/Windows XP Professional-Snapshot4.vmem
..........(big list)

Has rsync really deleted these files? I know at least some of these files listed were already deleted a while ago, so I am hoping it really was some dry run operation and it has not damaged my data.

Anyway, it sounds like backintime has been updated, but rsync has not? I have http://www.le-web.org/repository2 setup so thats my guess.

Regards

John Cottier.

You need to update rsync to version 3...

Ok, I installed the package from hardy backports. Its working now, except that there is no tray applet to tell you its working and the status. Can this be configured?

Please run it from command line ('backintime --backup') and check the output for lines like:
"[GnomeTakeSnapshotCallback.run] ..."

I got a load of permission errors when I did this, so I re-ran it as root, but there is no sign of that line at all :-

john@john-ubuntu:~$ sudo backintime --backup
[sudo] password for john:
Back In Time
Version: 0.9.26

Back In Time comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
under certain conditions; type `backintime --license' for details.

INFO: Lock
INFO: Include folders: ['/bin', '/boot', '/data', '/etc', '/home', '/lib', '/opt', '/root', '/sbin', '/srv', '/usr', '/var']
INFO: Ignore folders: []
INFO: Last snapshots: {}
INFO: Compare with old snapshot: 20090608-085629
INFO: Command "rsync -aEAX -i --dry-run --chmod=Fa-w,D+w --whole-file --delete --exclude="/media/Toshiba_1TB" --exclude="/home/john/.local/share/backintime" --include="/bin/" --include="/boot/" --include="/data/" --include="/etc/" --include="/home/" --include="/lib/" --include="/opt/" --include="/root/" --include="/sbin/" --include="/srv/" --include="/usr/" --include="/var/" --exclude="*.backup*" --exclude="*~" --exclude="/home/john/smb4k" --exclude="/proc" --exclude="/tmp" --exclude="/media" --include="/bin/**" --include="/boot/**" --include="/data/**" --include="/etc/**" --include="/home/**" --include="/lib/**" --include="/opt/**" --include="/root/**" --include="/sbin/**" --include="/srv/**" --include="/usr/**" --include="/var/**" --exclude="*" / "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/20090608-085629/backup/"" returns 0
INFO: Create hard-links
INFO: Command "cp -al "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/20090608-085629/backup/"* "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/new_snapshot/backup/"" returns 0
INFO: Call rsync to take the snapshot
INFO: Command "rsync -aEAX -v --delete-excluded --chmod=Fa-w,D+w --whole-file --delete --exclude="/media/Toshiba_1TB" --exclude="/home/john/.local/share/backintime" --include="/bin/" --include="/boot/" --include="/data/" --include="/etc/" --include="/home/" --include="/lib/" --include="/opt/" --include="/root/" --include="/sbin/" --include="/srv/" --include="/usr/" --include="/var/" --exclude="*.backup*" --exclude="*~" --exclude="/home/john/smb4k" --exclude="/proc" --exclude="/tmp" --exclude="/media" --include="/bin/**" --include="/boot/**" --include="/data/**" --include="/etc/**" --include="/home/**" --include="/lib/**" --include="/opt/**" --include="/root/**" --include="/sbin/**" --include="/srv/**" --include="/usr/**" --include="/var/**" --exclude="*" / "/media/Toshiba_1TB/backintime/new_snapshot/backup/"" returns 0
INFO: Save permissions
INFO: Remove backups older than: 19990608-000000
INFO: Keep min free disk space: 51200 Mb
INFO: Unlock

This can be because you run it with sudo. Can you configure it (just for tests) as you user and run it without sudo ?

Its the same, but just with some failed permission warning messages from rsync. There is no sign of [GnomeTakeSnapshotCallback.run] Also, if you look at the before and after backintime update in the system logs above, you will notice that this message was there (after Last snapshots: {}) on the old backintime, but now is not there. Maybe there is another incompatibility?

Just to resume: you are using
  Kubuntu 8.04
  Backintime version 0.9.26 (gnome version)
  rsync version 2.6.9 protocol version 29

If you are using KDE3 or KDE4 than it is normal that the gnome notification it is not used.
If you are using KDE4 and you install KDE4 version there should be a KDE4 notification.

I am using KDE3, that is why I installed the gnome version. The notification used to work but stopped after the update so I guess its got broken or the feature has been removed?. Is there a way to bring it back? I think its an important feature as this is the only feedback that it is working.

For the moment the Gnome notification plugin is used only if it detect the gnome session.
If you want to force Gnome notification you need to modify the file: "/usr/share/backintime/plugins/gnomeplugin.py".
Search for the function:
 def init( self, snapshots )
and remove the lines:
  if not tools.process_exists( 'gnome-settings-daemon' ):
   return False

That worked fine, thank you. Will I need to do this after each backintime update?

At least until you will use Gnome or KDE4 :)
I should add an 'force GNOME notification' somewhere in expert options, but this is not a priority.

Hi, I'm having a similar problem (Done: no backup needed) when trying to take a new Backintime snapshot,
but I am using the newer rsync v3... taking a manual snapshot from the commandline (-b) seems to work fine.

this is on Ubuntu 7.10 with KDE 3,
using the gnome UI version 0.9.26
rsync version is 3.06
snapshot media is ext3 on a LUKS encrypted external HD, +60GB free

config & syslog output attached, any idea what is going wrong here?

config.version=2
gnome.last_path=/
gnome.main_window.height=517
gnome.main_window.hpaned1=369
gnome.main_window.hpaned2=200
gnome.main_window.width=847
gnome.main_window.x=209
gnome.main_window.y=0
gnome.show_hidden_files=false
snapshots.automatic_backup_mode=0
snapshots.cron.nice=true
snapshots.dont_remove_named_snapshots=true
snapshots.exclude_patterns=*.backup*:*~:*.gvfs*
snapshots.expert.per_directory_schedule=false
snapshots.include_folders=/home/gsteenss|0:/etc|0
snapshots.min_free_space.enabled=true
snapshots.min_free_space.unit=20
snapshots.min_free_space.value=50
snapshots.notify.enabled=true
snapshots.path=/media/disk/Backups/TravelCompa
snapshots.remove_old_snapshots.enabled=true
snapshots.remove_old_snapshots.unit=80
snapshots.remove_old_snapshots.value=10
snapshots.smart_remove=false

Nov 8 20:24:41 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Lock
Nov 8 20:24:41 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Include folders: ['/home/gsteenss', '/etc']
Nov 8 20:24:41 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Ignore folders: []
Nov 8 20:24:41 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Last snapshots: {}
Nov 8 20:24:45 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): WARNING: Command "chmod -R a+rwx "/media/disk/Backups/TravelCompa/backintime/new_snapshot"" returns 256
Nov 8 20:24:51 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Command "rm -rf "/media/disk/Backups/TravelCompa/backintime/new_snapshot"" returns 0
Nov 8 20:24:51 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Compare with old snapshot: 20091102-190509
Nov 8 20:24:53 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): WARNING: Command "rsync -aEAX -i --dry-run --chmod=Fa-w,D+w --whole-file --delete --exclude="/media/disk/Backups/TravelCompa" --exclude="/home/gsteenss/.local/share/backintime" --include="/home/gsteenss/" --include="/home/" --include="/etc/" --exclude="*.backup*" --exclude="*~" --include="/home/gsteenss/**" --include="/etc/**" --exclude="*" / "/media/disk/Backups/TravelCompa/backintime/20091102-190509/backup/"" returns 3328
Nov 8 20:24:53 TravelCompa backintime (gsteenss): INFO: Create hard-links

I had the same error.
The cli showed "ERROR: [UserCallbackPlugin.notify_callback callback error] /bin/sh: /home/gruinelli/.config/backintime/user-callback: Permission denied"

After removing my (unused) callback file it worked again.

Backintime should handle this error correctly and show a message!