paul_a_bennett
April 29th, 2011, 12:14 AM
For a while, I've been having trouble figuring out how to configure sbackup correctly, as it never seemed to do what I wanted it to. I've finally figured out that sbackup's configuration GUI appears to have a bug in it.
Let me explain.
I wanted to set up daily backups. I used the GUI to do so, setting the backup time to 00:30 daily. When I clicked 'Save', a dialog informed me that the save had been successful. However, I noticed that the machine continued to slow down every hour and a check of the backup media verified that a backup was being done every hour of every day.
Tracking through things, I uncovered the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup which the sbackup configuration GUI writes. It contained the line:
30 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
(i.e., backup every half hour of every hour of every day - not what was intended!)
Of course, I restarted the sbackup configuration GUI again, and sure enough, it indicated that backups were to be done hourly on the half hour.
I changed the value to hourly (again) and sent the time to 00:30.
Again I saved, again I was told that the save was successful. Immediately on checking the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup, I noticed that the line had reverted to the same as above:
30 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
On a whim, I entered the sbackup configuration GUI again and set the time to 01:30, daily. Immediately checking /etc/cron.d/sbackup, I noticed that the line now read:
30 1 * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
(i.e., do the backup at 01:30 every day: what WAS desired!)
From this I conclude that there is a bug in the sbackup GUI which causes it to assume that a 0 hour (midnight) should be written as a '*' instead of as a '0'.
Two conceivable workarounds suggest themselves:
Never use the sbackup configuration GUI to set a time between midnight and 01:00. (Set it to some time after 01:00.)
Alternatively, edit the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup by hand and replace the first '*' (in the second position) by a '0' and NEVER USE THE SBACKUP CONFIGURATION GUI AGAIN unless you're going to set a time after 01:00, or you'll be back in the same pickle that I was in.
Hopefully the kind author of sbackup can resolve this small problem in the next release.
Let me explain.
I wanted to set up daily backups. I used the GUI to do so, setting the backup time to 00:30 daily. When I clicked 'Save', a dialog informed me that the save had been successful. However, I noticed that the machine continued to slow down every hour and a check of the backup media verified that a backup was being done every hour of every day.
Tracking through things, I uncovered the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup which the sbackup configuration GUI writes. It contained the line:
30 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
(i.e., backup every half hour of every hour of every day - not what was intended!)
Of course, I restarted the sbackup configuration GUI again, and sure enough, it indicated that backups were to be done hourly on the half hour.
I changed the value to hourly (again) and sent the time to 00:30.
Again I saved, again I was told that the save was successful. Immediately on checking the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup, I noticed that the line had reverted to the same as above:
30 * * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
On a whim, I entered the sbackup configuration GUI again and set the time to 01:30, daily. Immediately checking /etc/cron.d/sbackup, I noticed that the line now read:
30 1 * * * root if [ -x /usr/sbin/sbackupd ]; then /usr/sbin/sbackupd; fi;
(i.e., do the backup at 01:30 every day: what WAS desired!)
From this I conclude that there is a bug in the sbackup GUI which causes it to assume that a 0 hour (midnight) should be written as a '*' instead of as a '0'.
Two conceivable workarounds suggest themselves:
Never use the sbackup configuration GUI to set a time between midnight and 01:00. (Set it to some time after 01:00.)
Alternatively, edit the file /etc/cron.d/sbackup by hand and replace the first '*' (in the second position) by a '0' and NEVER USE THE SBACKUP CONFIGURATION GUI AGAIN unless you're going to set a time after 01:00, or you'll be back in the same pickle that I was in.
Hopefully the kind author of sbackup can resolve this small problem in the next release.