[BackupPC-users] Backups are performed but are empty

[Jörg E. <j.e...@un...>]

Hi,
we backup eight Windows clients in an AD domain using BackupPC and
tb-rsync-vss. This has worked flawlessly so far.
The only problems occurred, when the clients did not wake up via
Wake-on-LAN and were therefore unavailable. In this case, restarting the affected clients helped.
Yesterday, I was completely taken aback, when I realised that the backups appeared to be running smoothly but were empty.

I then took a look at the XferLog files.

Before the error, the XferLog files looked like this.

XferLOG file /var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/XferLOG.150.z created 2025-09-12 16:00:11
Backup prep: type = incr, case = 4, inPlace = 0, doDuplicate = 0, newBkupNum = 150, newBkupIdx = 21, lastBkupNum = 149, lastBkupIdx = 20 (FillCycle = 0, noFillCnt = 3)
Running: /usr/libexec/backuppc-rsync/rsync_bpc --bpc-top-dir /var/lib/backuppc --bpc-host-name desktop-xxx --bpc-share-name \"/\|cygpath=true\|tmp-drive=b\|rsync=c:/r.exe\|c:\" --bpc-bkup-num 150 --bpc-bkup-comp 3 --bpc-bkup-prevnum 149 --bpc-bkup-prevcomp 3 --bpc-bkup-inode0 14381388 --bpc-log-level 9 --bpc-attrib-new -e /usr/bin/ssh --rsync-path=\"c:\\Program\ Files\\OpenSSH\\vss.exe\" -8tOJrlH --no-p --no-g --no-o --delete --delete-excluded --partial --log-format=log:\ %o\ %i\ %B\ %8U,%8G\ %9l\ %f%L --stats --iconv=utf8,cp1252 desktop-xxx:\"/\|cygpath=true\|tmp-drive=b\|rsync=c:/r.exe\|c:\"/ /
incr backup started for directory "/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:"
Xfer PIDs are now 252383
This is the rsync child about to exec /usr/libexec/backuppc-rsync/rsync_bpc
bpc_lib_conf_init: topDir = /var/lib/backuppc, logLevel = 9
bpc_path_create(/var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/150)
bpc_path_create(/var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/149)
bpc_attrib_backwardCompat: WriteOldStyleAttribFile = 0, KeepOldAttribFiles = 0
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 0: c:\Program Files\OpenSSH\vss.exe
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 1: --server
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 2: --sender
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 3: -lHtre.iLsfxC
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 4: --iconv=cp1252
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 5: .
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 6: /|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:/
Fri Sep 12 16:00:12 2025 startup
Fri Sep 12 16:00:17 2025 mapping \\?\GLOBALROOT\Device\HarddiskVolumeShadowCopy7 to b:
Fri Sep 12 16:00:17 2025 executing: ''c:/r.exe' '--server' '--sender' '-lHtre.iLsfxC' '--iconv=cp1252' '.' '/cygdrive/b/''
bpc_stat(/)
splitPath: trimming path = ''
splitPath: returning dir = '/', fileName = '"/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:"', attrib = '/attrib' from path = ''
bpc_attribCache_loadPath: path = / -> dir = /, fileName = В^, attribPath = /attrib
bpc_attrib_dirRead(/var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/150//attrib); dirPath = /var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/150, attribFilePath = /attrib, attribFileName = attrib
bpc_attrib_dirRead: Got attrib file attrib_a4c94bcc5a6ef9418c89fdaaaad5a883: digest = a4c94bcc5a6ef9418c89fdaaaad5a883, len = 16

bpc_fileZIO_open(/var/lib/backuppc/cpool/a4/c8/a4c94bcc5a6ef9418c89fdaaaad5a883, 0, 3) -> 3
bpc_attrib_dirRead(/var/lib/backuppc/cpool/a4/c8/a4c94bcc5a6ef9418c89fdaaaad5a883): Got file "/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:": type = 5, mode = 0755, uid/gid = 0/0, size = 0
bpc_attrib_dirRead(/var/lib/backuppc/cpool/a4/c8/a4c94bcc5a6ef9418c89fdaaaad5a883): Got file "/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|d:": type = 5, mode = 0755, uid/gid = 0/0, size = 0
bpc_fileZIO_close(3)
bpc_lstat(/) and so on

Since the error occurred, it has been recorded in the Xferlogs.

XferLOG file /var/lib/backuppc/pc/desktop-xxx/XferLOG.163.z created 2025-09-25 14:26:31
Backup prep: type = full, case = 4, inPlace = 0, doDuplicate = 0, newBkupNum = 163, newBkupIdx = 22, lastBkupNum = 162, lastBkupIdx = 21 (FillCycle = 0, noFillCnt = 3)
Running: /usr/libexec/backuppc-rsync/rsync_bpc --bpc-top-dir /var/lib/backuppc --bpc-host-name desktop-xxx --bpc-share-name \"/\|cygpath=true\|tmp-drive=b\|rsync=c:/r.exe\|c:\" --bpc-bkup-num 163 --bpc-bkup-comp 3 --bpc-bkup-prevnum 162 --bpc-bkup-prevcomp 3 --bpc-bkup-inode0 14429672 --bpc-log-level 2 --bpc-attrib-new -e /usr/bin/ssh\  -8tOJrlH --no-p --no-g --no-o --ignore-errors --delete --delete-excluded --partial --log-format=log:\ %o\ %i\ %B\ %8U,%8G\ %9l\ %f%L --stats --filter=.\ /etc/rsync/winex/vss.ex --filter=:,n-\ .rsync-filter-094961fbaf9f6e310946b5f4f9dbc7c8 --checksum --acls --xattrs --iconv=utf8,cp1252 desktop-xxx:\"/\|cygpath=true\|tmp-drive=b\|rsync=c:/r.exe\|c:\"/ /
full backup started for directory "/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:"
Xfer PIDs are now 324607
This is the rsync child about to exec /usr/libexec/backuppc-rsync/rsync_bpc
rsync: [sender] change_dir "/|cygpath=true|tmp-drive=b|rsync=c:/r.exe|c:" failed: No such file or directory (2)
Number of files: 0
Number of created files: 0
Number of deleted files: 0
Number of regular files transferred: 0
Total file size: 0 bytes
Total transferred file size: 0 bytes
Literal data: 0 bytes
Matched data: 0 bytes
File list size: 7
Total bytes sent: 3,225
Total bytes received: 7
sent 3,225 bytes  received 7 bytes  1,292.80 bytes/sec
total size is 0  speedup is 0.00
Done: 0 errors, 0 filesExist, 0 sizeExist, 0 sizeExistComp, 0 filesTotal, 0 sizeTotal, 0 filesNew, 0 sizeNew, 0 sizeNewComp, 14429672 inode
rsync error: some files/attrs were not transferred (see previous errors) (code 23) at main.c(1685) [Receiver=3.1.3.0]

It appears that the link c:\r.exe can no longer be found.
The link is no longer displayed in Explorer or on the command line. When
  I switch to c:\ on the command line, enter r, and complete the command
with TAB, r.exe is displayed. So the link still seems to exist.
Nevertheless, it is not displayed in DIR or Explorer.
Running install.cmd again in openssh creates the link, but it is not displayed in DIR or Explorer.
Do you have any idea what the problem could be?

Unrast Verlag
Jörg Ehrchen
Fuggerstr. 13a
48165 Münster

Email:j.e...@un...

Tel: 02581/4580083