Les Mikesell <lesmikes...@gmail.com> wrote on 09/02/2011 11:05:22 PM:

> On Fri, Sep 2, 2011 at 5:03 PM,  <hans...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I've now tried to uninstall/re-install twice times without success.
> > Apparently the failure of the hardlink test during the postinstall 
also
> > prevented the creation of the default config.pl and hosts files.
> >
> > This time I'm planning to delete the backuppc user as well as:
> >
> > /var/lib/backuppc
> > /etc/backuppc
> > /var/log/backuppc
> > /usr/share/backuppc
> 
> None of that should be necessary.

But would probably be a very good idea.  What would be an even better idea 
would be to grab a spare PC (or a virtual guest) and test it from a 
completely clean installation.  And document the *heck* out of what you 
do:  you *will* be doing it again (and again and again....).

>  The only thing I can think is that
> you manually created something as root and left it so backuppc
> couldn't write what it needed, or your mounts aren't really where you
> think.

I would encourage you to simply use a symlink.  That should simplify 
things.  Or even better:  *don't* use a symlink.  Create a test system 
that has only a single partition and get things working with just a small 
amount of data.  Once you can set up a server that can successfully back 
up, say, 1GB of data, then you know what works.  Then make a single change 
at a time (e.g. reinstall, but using a symlink to a data partition) and 
see if it works.  If it does, great.  If not, you know what you did wrong!

> Or if you installed, then copied the installed files to a new
> place you didn't use 'cp -a' to preserve ownership and permissions.

And while there are a million reasons why you might *think* that is a a 
good idea (copying/moving the files to a new place), it is an absolutely 
*TERRIBLE* idea until you have at *least* built a working configuration 
without doing so.  (Even afterwards, it's probably a terrible idea, but at 
least then you'll know conclusively that it is the source of your problems 
or not.)

That spare PC used to set up a *VERY* straightforward system is getting 
more and more important...  :)

> > is there **anything** else I should do to ensure a "clean" system 
state
> > before re-installing BackupPC?

Not to beat a dead horse (which is just a way of saying that I'm *gonna* 
beat a dead horse), but I would leave your current system alone and work 
on that pristine system on a spare PC (or VM guest)...  Once you know what 
works, you can compare it to the system that doesn't.

And as an aside for the hordes that are hanging on my every word (right? 
:)  ), that's *always* a good plan:  start with a machine that you can 
reformat and reinstall from scratch--over and over and over again--when 
you try to do something like implement a new software package...  And once 
you have it working the way you think you want it to work, take *another* 
spare system (or guest VM) from scratch and use your copious and detailed 
documentation (which you have, right?) to re-create the solution as 
cleanly and straightforwardly as possible, updating the documentation so 
that you have a 100% correlati0n between your documentation and your 
solution.

For a computer consultant like myself, who is always planning on being 
able to reproduce *any* solution for another customer, such a procedure is 
automatic--and incredibly valuable.

Sorry if this seems like preaching or condesending.  I'm not trying to; it 
seems like you might benefit from such a strategy.

Timothy J. Massey

 
Out of the Box Solutions, Inc. 
Creative IT Solutions Made Simple!
http://www.OutOfTheBoxSolutions.com
tmas...@obscorp.com 
 
22108 Harper Ave.
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
Office: (800)750-4OBS (4627)
Cell: (586)945-8796 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Offer -- Download ArcSight Logger for FREE!
Finally, a world-class log management solution at an even better 
price-free! And you'll get a free "Love Thy Logs" t-shirt when you
download Logger. Secure your free ArcSight Logger TODAY!
http://p.sf.net/sfu/arcsisghtdev2dev
_______________________________________________
BackupPC-users mailing list
BackupPC-users@lists.sourceforge.net
List:    https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/backuppc-users
Wiki:    http://backuppc.wiki.sourceforge.net
Project: http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/

Reply via email to