Re: [rdiff-backup-users] Warning: Extended attributes file not found

[Andrew Ferguson]

Steve White wrote:
>> The Warning message indicates that rdiff-backup cannot find the Extended
>> Attributes storage file, which is normally kept in rdiff-backup-data/ .
>> So yes, it is saying which file triggered the problem.
>> 
> I don't follow.  As I said, no file name was reported.
> 
> In what way is it saying which file triggered the problem?
> 
> Often I get a report just like this:
> 
> Warning: Extended attributes file not found

The message is:  "Extended attributes" file not found.

The file in which rdiff-backup stores the extended attributes could not
be found. This is an unusual error, because it means that rdiff-backup
didn't store extended attributes in the past, but is now looking for them.

Make a small test backup on your client. (eg, "rdiff-backup test
test-backup"). Then look in the "test-backup/rdiff-backup-data/" folder
-- you will probably see a file
"test-backup/rdiff-backup-data/extended_attributes.2008-....." --- that
is the "Extended attributes" file.

>> Did you perhaps change your rdiff-backup configuration between runs? 
> 
> I don't think the rdiff-backup configuration changed.

Then something else has changed, such as the pyxattr module has been
installed, or extended attributes have been enabled on a volume.

>> Do you have extended attributes setup on the server but not the client?
> 
> How would I know that?


Well, what OS are the server and client running on? On Mac OS X, you
have to enable them by hand on 10.4 client, but they are enabled by
default on 10.4 server; not sure about 10.5. On linux, you use the
user_xattr option when mounting ext3. Not sure about other options.

See what 'mount' tells you on both the client and server. However, all
of this information will be reported by "rdiff-backup -v5 ..."




-- 
Andrew Ferguson - address@hidden