SD Error copying /.MobileBackups

[loopkid]

Just a little follow-up on this topic for anyone experiencing the "type 8 due to error 28: No space left on device" error message.

Trust Dave, he knows what he's talking about. I've also had the error when doing a Backup with SuperDuper. As there where >30 GB left on the target volume I figured it had to be an erroneous error message. I tried a backup with CCC which didn't abort, but resulted in the following output:

11/01 05:22:37	rsync: send_directory: readdir("/Library/Dictionaries/Shogakukan Progressive English-Japanese Japanese-English Dictionary.dictionary/Contents/image"): Input/output error (5)
11/01 05:22:44	IO error encountered -- skipping file deletion (10001)
11/01 09:34:54	Detected input/output error
11/01 09:34:57	rsync: send_files: read errors mapping "/Users/stefan/Library/Mail/*********/194023.partial.emlx": Input/output error (5)
11/01 09:35:27	rsync: send_files: read errors mapping "/Users/stefan/Library/Mail/*********/194023.partial.emlx": Input/output error (5)
11/01 09:35:35	ERROR: "/Volumes/Backup HD/Users/stefan/Library/Mail/*********/194023.partial.emlx" failed verification -- update discarded. (10001)

Then as Dave suggested I booted from another volume and tried a disk repair. Unfortunately the source volume was so fucked up that it wouldn't even mount anymore after rebooting.

Here's what the Disk Utility GUI said:

2011-11-01 14:44:56 +0100: Disk Utility started.
2011-11-01 14:45:14 +0100: Verify and Repair volume “MacBook Pro HD”
2011-11-01 14:45:14 +0100: Starting repair tool: 
2011-11-01 14:45:16 +0100: Checking file system2011-11-01 14:45:16 +0100: Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume.
2011-11-01 14:45:17 +0100: Checking extents overflow file.
2011-11-01 14:45:17 +0100: Checking catalog file.
2011-11-01 14:46:45 +0100: Invalid node structure
2011-11-01 14:46:45 +0100: The volume MacBook Pro HD could not be verified completely.
2011-11-01 14:46:45 +0100: Volume repair complete.2011-11-01 14:46:45 +0100: Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required.2011-11-01 14:46:46 +0100: Error: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.2011-11-01 14:46:46 +0100: 
2011-11-01 14:46:46 +0100: Disk Utility stopped repairing “MacBook Pro HD”: Disk Utility can’t repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files.

Here's what the Disk Utility CLI said:

$ diskutil repairVolume disk0s2
Started file system repair on disk0s2 MacBook Pro HD
Checking file system
Checking Journaled HFS Plus volume
Checking extents overflow file
Checking catalog file
Invalid node structure
The volume MacBook Pro HD could not be verified completely
Volume repair complete
Updating boot support partitions for the volume as required
Error: -69845: File system verify or repair failed
Underlying error: 8: POSIX reports: Exec format error

I tried DiskWarrior, but it gave me a "The new directory cannot replace the original directory because of a disk malfunction". I then did a surface test with Tech Tools Pro and it found 3 defect blocks. I strongly suspect that these defect blocks caused the SuperDuper backup to fail.

Stefan

[mmurray]

Just another data point. I had the same problem and the recommended repair fixed it. Thank you very much.

A note for those using File Vault under Lion. If you boot from the Recovery Disk and go to Disk Utilities your internal HD is greyed and you can't repair it. This was a bit scary when I first saw it but on the tool bar above where it normally says "Mount" there is an "Unlock" icon. Click that and you get to enter your File Vault password.

Michael

[drmoss_ca]

I had the same problem today doing my daily SD backup of a MBP with an internal SSD. Same Trash file - in /.MobileBackups/Computer/ and same error about the disk being full (the backup disk is 1TB and the internal SSD is 150GB). It must be something corrupted in the local snapshot, but I am unable to delete the damaged file, even if I log in as root. I made a script for SD to ignore that folder and the backup completed fine. Some thoughts:
- can you have a bad block in an SSD?
- I thought portable Macs only did the local snapshot thing when their TM disk was unavailable. This one lives plugged into a FW disk for TM.

Chris

[dnanian]

Yes, I'd just ignore the folder if you're having trouble (but if you temporarily turn Time Machine off using its preference pane, it'll clean up .MobileBackups).

SSDs can have bad blocks, but that's not necessarily what's going on here.

I don't think we really know when TM does its local snapshots. It's clearly not just when the TM drive is unavailable, though.

[drmoss_ca]

I'll try turning off TM tomorrow when I go back to the office, and then try a full SD backup. If it works, I guess I'll just have to remember to do it each time the local backups get corrupted or whatever it is that is happening. It doesn't fill me with confidence that the local snapshots will do any good if they contain errors, but then again, I've got a proper TM backup on the FW disk, and my trusty SD clone, so perhaps it doesn't matter!

Chris

[mmurray]

There in info here

http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/30.html

about how to turn snapshots off from the command line. I've no idea how safe that is. I haven't tried it.

Michael

[drmoss_ca]

I used the command

sudo tmutil disablelocal

in Terminal and a full smart backup works fine now.

Chris