ATIH 2016 fails to write scripts for periodic validation of backup files
This problem is simple and appears to be a bug in ATIH 2016.
For all backup tasks, my standard configuration is to configure weekly validations for each backup completed. Call me paranoid, but I've been using computers since 1966, so I configure for any new utilitiy for worst case failure.
Which brings me to ATIH 2016.
For every backup task, I normally configure a weekly valadation of each ATIH backup file (6 worst case for my computers). All well and good on the ATIH UI but with close examination, none of the UI configurations get written to the validation script task files.
The result is that ATIH "forgets" every periodic validation of every backup task. Very irritating,
So when I go back to the periodic valadation configuration for every backup task after closing ATIH, my original setup is gone and reverts to some random configuration having no relationship with what I configured in the ATIH UI.
After poking at this a bit, I was able to clearly coclude that ATIH 2016, while being able to accept periodic valadation parameters via the UI, did *not*write them to the valadation scripts.
I've attached 1 valadation script of 6 to illustrate my point here.
It's not a fatal bug, but it is very irritating.
So.
You Acronis types, please fix this. It is a legitimate bug.
To upload the script file I had to add the extension .txt to the script file to fake out the uploader. So strip off the .txt extension to see the orignal script file.
Thank
Bill Metcalf
Hi Steve,
IF you look at the contents of C:\Program Data\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Scripts\ you will find 2 scripts for each backup task; one being 5k in size and the other being 2k in size. Furthermore when you either create or modify a backup task using the ATIH UI and then save the backup task by clicking OK and completing a backup task configuration, these file pairs will initially have the exact same date and time when created or modified.
The 2K script files have this on line 5 of the header section: <display>Backup validation</display>
Furthermore no parameters are ever entered into any of these, what I'll call "companion" scripts, either when creating a backup task or modifying it via the ATIH UI. Moreoever, these scripts would not have been created if Acronis had no purpose for them. So that begs the question, what are they for?
I examined the log files and found no instance of a periodic valadations ever ocurring. See below for the sequence of events.
Since periodic backup file valadations never happen, and while I make no claim on being correct here, it is a reasonable conjecture that these "companion" scripts are for periodic backup file valadations when Valadate backup regularly is selected and configured. Also since Acronis allows one to configure periodic backup file valadation at a time of ones choosing independent of the backup task, it follows that there would be a seperate script file for each. Hence the second script file.
Be that as it may, here is the core of my previous post.
1) When I configure a backup task, as part of that procedure under Options -> Advanced -> Valadation I select Valadate backup regularly and then configure it.
2) If one then looks at the "companion" script (with a text editor) that was created after saving the backup task configuration, no parameters have been entered even though the ATIH UI still shows what was entered in the Valadate backup regularly configuration.
3) If one then closes ATIH and the executes it again, ATIH always "forgets" Valadate backup regularly by deselecing it and reverting to random parameters in the cofiguration when examining it via the ATIH UI. The "companion" script remains as before with no parameters having been entered.
4) Periodic backup file valadations never occur which is entirely consistent the previous 2 items.
So that is the answer to your key question plus the sequence of events preceding it.
This sequence is accurate and 100% reproducable.
And since I made no cockpit errors when configuring all backup tasks and each backup task runs as I intended when I configured it on two seperate machines, but with this one exception, it follows that this is a bug in ATIH 2016.
Go ahead and try it yourself by following the sequence above by configuring a dummy backup task. That would be good verification of what I said here if it works as I described. It would also be convincing evidence.
Comments welcome.
Bill
Hi Bill, I am setting up a test and will update when I have some results to share.
Thanks Steve.
Actually it occured to me you could just enable and configure backup valadation on an existing task. It would be easier and quicker that way, with no risk I can see.
Bill
Bill, I setup a simple new backup task for a single set of folders with a daily validation to be performed.
This created the two new task scripts, one for the backup and one for the validation.
I copied the <email>....</email> section from the backup task into the validation task script as the latter didn't take this from the backup task by default.
My initial test failed to run the validation test because the default Advanced settings option is to 'Run the validation only when the computer is idle' and my computer was never considered to be idle!
I used the Acronis Scheduler Manager utility to list then zap all scheduled tasks to clear the old entries out.
I then modified the validation settings to deselect the 'Run only when idle' option.
This time the scheduled validation ran on time and also sent me a notification email to confirm this, plus generated a validation log file.
log uuid=E27DC6F4-B362-4756-86FA-6EECE851587F; product=True Image; version=19.0; build=6569; task=81AA01F6-AD61-4C0A-83AF-93DE46D62DAD; task_name=Backup validation
Start= 07/05/2016 22:50:03
id=1; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:03; message=Operation Backup validation started by schedule.
id=2; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:04; message=Priority changed to Low.
id=3; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:04; message=Validate Backup Archive Location: H:\Test\Test Valid_full_b1_s1_v1.tib
id=4; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:47; message=Operation has succeeded.
id=5; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:52; message=The e-mail notification has been successfully sent.
id=6; date/time=07/05/2016 22:50:52; message=Batch operation has completed successfully.
Start= 07/05/2016 22:50:03
Finish= 07/05/2016 22:50:52
Total Time= 00:00:49
There is a further log that shows this Scheduled activity that can be found at:
C:\ProgramData\Acronis\Schedule2\ where the log file has YYYY.MM.DD-HH.MM.SS.DDD-schedule2.exe
name prefix and which logs the scheduler events. This showed:
07.05.2016 22:50:01.698 2724 Processing task 1-3
07.05.2016 22:50:01.700 2724 RepStartFlag : 1
07.05.2016 22:50:01.703 2724 Conditions: isNextRepeated: 0, onTaskFinished: 0, checkedPast: 0, checkedFuture: 1, repeatedOrNotChecked: 1, doRun: 1
07.05.2016 22:50:01.705 2724 Trying task 1-3 as TIME_NORMAL
07.05.2016 22:50:01.728 2724 SetWaitableTimer: no tasks demanding system wake up
07.05.2016 22:50:01.732 2724 OnServiceMainWake: next time = 8.05.2016 22:50:00
07.05.2016 22:50:01.732 4820 API Reply: OP=WAIT_CHANGES_EX Ver=4 Status=0 Misc=0 Id=3
07.05.2016 22:50:01.732 2964 Running task 1-3
....... lots more entries .....
07.05.2016 22:50:47.401 6572 WaitId=220 Product=2 (ATI)
07.05.2016 22:50:47.406 4816 WaitId=219 Product=2 (ATI)
07.05.2016 22:50:48.740 2964 Deleted session
07.05.2016 22:50:52.570 2964 Task 1-3 completed with exit code=0
If I look at an earlier schedule2 log for the failed (to be idle) validation test, I see:
07.05.2016 21:00:01.214 3084 Trying task 2-16 as TIME_NORMAL
07.05.2016 21:00:01.249 3308 API Reply: OP=WAIT_CHANGES_EX Ver=4 Status=0 Misc=0 Id=16
07.05.2016 21:00:01.249 3084 Windows fast startup state to enable: BACKUP PRESENCE
07.05.2016 21:00:01.250 5672 API Reply: OP=WAIT_CHANGES_EX Ver=4 Status=0 Misc=6357070 Id=16
07.05.2016 21:00:01.250 3112 Running task 2-16 pending because of: IDLE
Hi Steve,
First, thanks for running your experiment. It does demonstrate a couple of things.
1) The 2nd script created really is a backup valadation script as I had reasoned in a prior post. How do I conclude that?
You got a notification when the script ran because you filled in the <email>....</email> section and received a notification. Also the log file located in C:\Program Data\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Logs\ looks pretty much like I would expect.
2) That said I would like to politely point out that the rest of your post is not relevent to my problem. Boiled down to its essence, what you have demostrated is the the Run the validation only when the computer is idle under Valadation -> Advanced must be deselected. It is unfortunate that Acronis' default for this item is selected so it's an easy pothole to step into. And so you did on your first try because of this.
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I don't have that problem because I write an ATIH configuration document for each machine. This is a procedure I used extensively in my professional life as an EE where the systems we built were far too complex to not write such a ducument. They would have been impossible to develop otherwise.
I elect to do this for ATIH, because each backup task setup is fairly complicated and must be well thought out before doing any configurations. Writing it out forces one to think it through.
This is a real hazard for me since on my Win 7 machine I have 6 backup tasks configured and running as scheduled... and 6 valadation tasks that don't run for reasons I noted in my last post to you and below in this post.
Once I've written the first configuration document for the first ATIH version I plan to install, the rest are easy to write since there are only minor variations between them for each machine. I simply copy the first one and make the necessary edits for each machine.
Here's a copy of my standardl backup valadation section in one such document which is nearly the same for all machines and tasks. The only difference between the Valadation sections is the time setting to avoid having multiple tasks scheduled for the same time or overlapping.
-
Validation
-
Select: Validate backup when it is created
-
Select: Validate backup regularly
-
Weekly - Every Monday at [2:30PM]
-
Advanced
-
Deselect Run the validation only when the computer is idle
-
Select Wake up the sleeping/hibernating computer
-
Select Prevent the computer from going to sleep/hibernate
-
Deselect Run at the system startup with delay [0] minutes
-
-
-
For this reason, all of my ATIH installations are uniform and Run the validation only when the computer is idle is always deselected. So I don't have the problem you described in your experiment.
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Now I have one questions for you about your experiment.
Did you close down the ATIH UI and then re-execute it and then examine the valadation section to see if ATIH "forgot" it as I described in my prior post to you and in more detail below?
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I ask because my problem occurs consisely in at least two different ways this after re-running my own experimental backup task a couple times:
Read the following sequences carefully.
1a) After configuring my experimental backup task, examination of the Valadation configuration showed everything intact per my standard Valadation configuration (see above).
1b) I manually ran the experimental backup task once.
1c) When examining the Valadation section, ATIH had "forgotten" Options -> Advanced -> Valadation -> Valadate backup regularly by deselecting it.
2a) I then reconfigured the Valadation to my standard configuration. Examination of the Valadation configuration showed everything intact per my standard Valadation configuration.
2b) After closing the ATIH UI and then re-executing it, ATIH had again "forgotten" Options -> Advanced -> Valadation -> Valadate backup regularly by deselecting it.
3) Because of these prior items, scheduled backup file valadations never occur, whereas backup file valadations for each backup cycle do. Right now, I see no workaround.
(Unfortunately, I had taken screenshots of all of the above so you could see the ATI UI exactly as I described in each step, but this post would not let me attach them because the attachment procedure claimed even the first of the 4 images was too large. My *.png files are 13, 14, 39 & 39 kB in size, the 1st one being smaller than your attachment.)
In short ATIH half reverts to the default settings for Valadation for no identifiable reason in at least two different ways. I say half because the Valadate backup when it is created remains selected, whereas the ATIH default is unselected.
Therefore and for the moment, I am giong to stand by my conclusion that the above experimental sequences clearly demonstrate there is a bug in ATIH 2016. At the same time I have no idea why your scheduled backup file valadation did run so the issue remains ambiguous to me at best.
It's also worth pointing out that I unistalled the first installation of ATIH 2016 v6569 with the Revo Pro tool. I then downloaded ATIH 2016 from my Acronis account, which was clearly identified as v6569, and installed it. All tests described here were run on that install.
Unfortuntely, your experiment as you reported the results, gave me no insight into what is happening on my machines and why.
I also had considered filling in the <email>....</email> section, but saw no reason to since they never ran.
Be that as it may, thanks for the effort you made doing your experiment.
Comments on this post appreciated.
Bill
Bill, I have posted about these issues in the MVP Forum where I hope that the Acronis Support engineers will pick up on them.
In particular, the loss of Validation details in the GUI presentation of the backup task after the program is exited and re-entered.
The lack of a visible task schedule within the GUI where any scheduled tasks (backup or validation) could be managed.
The failure to transfer Notifications settings from the backup task to the validation task.
The default selection to Run validation tasks only when idle where this doesn't seem to be able to detect an idle system and can cause other tasks to be queued.
One final comment here, although the validation configuration is lost from the backup task as shown in the GUI, it is passed to the Acronis Scheduler and does execute at the scheduled time.
Hi Steve,
Good move, thanks, this is better than I had hoped for.
I've had some real dust ups with other companies, the absolute worst of which was McFee, and rarely gotten this far down the road.
I would like to add a couple comments plus a little more data from my experimental backup valadation task.
1) Regarding your first listed item, the text of which is:
In particular, the loss of Validation details in the GUI presentation of the backup task after the program is exited and re-entered.
Suggest modifying the wording as follows or rewritten to your preference.
In particular, the deselection of Valadate backup regularly and the of loss of it's Validation details in the GUI presentation of the backup task after the program is exited and re-entered.
2) Suggest adding the following to your list or rewritten to your preference.
The deselection of Valadate backup regularly and the loss of it's Validation details in the GUI presentation of the backup task when a newly configured backup task is newly created and executed for the 1st time during same up time session of ATIH 2016.
1) Regarding your third listed item, the text of which is:
The failure to transfer Notifications settings from the backup task to the validation task.
To this I would suggest adding to aforementioned or making another entry to your list:
Under Valadation -> Advanced, add a user option selection to enable/disable Valadation Notifications.
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Regarding your last comment, while you have been able to get scheduled backup Valadations to run, I have never seen any work for me and I have scrubbed the logs on my Win 7 macine looking for at least one instance that at least one has. This was kind of a futile effort because Valadate backup regularly got deselected for all 6 configured backup tasks in one of the manners noted.
However, I observed at least one exception this morning when checking my experimental backup task which I have left in place and active. I will attempt to attach some useful files illustrating what happened, but we'll see. (Sorry, it would not accept the first screenshot .png file, so no go here)
I ran the Schedule Manager this AM on the Win 10 machine where I implemented my experimental backup task. Since I have been doing all experimentation in the indigenous Administrator acccount, get list yielded two tasks.
The 1st one was for the System Partition backup which has been running since I first started implementing backup tasks for ATIH. But that was as far as I got, given this Valadation issue distracting me.
The 2nd task was much more interesting. It was the scheduled backup Valadation task associated with my experimental backup task. What made it interesting is that Valadate backup regularly was *deselected* at the time it ran.
If you recall, I noted in a prior post that when Valadate backup regularly is deselected, it's parameters are lost and replaced with random entries as you noted in your post. The key random entries I found this AM were as follows: Monthly, Day 9 & 11:01 AM . However the associated log file was created on 5/8/2016 11:00 AM.
There is no rational explanation for any of this, yet there it was. Something for you to ponder in your copious fre time.
----
Anyway, here's hoping the Acronis engineers take up these issues and fixes appear down the road sometime. Soon would be good, but since I have managed developments with software as well as hardware elements, I'm pretty sure this will take a while because of the regression tests they will have to do.
So thanks for all the time and work you've put into this issue and sticking with it to the end. Very much appreciated.
Bill
Hello, everyone!
Steve Smith is absolutely correct here - even though the validation settings are shown incorrectly in the user interface, they are still saved by the scheduler and the validation task is executed as expected. The issue with the user interface is a known bug and will be fixed in one of the future updates.
The issue concerning the lack of email notifications after scheduled validation tasks has also been reported to the product team.