Scheduled backup
With a "daily" backup, there are multiple backups being run on the same day. No validations are being run. And, most importantly, the system is without a user logged in when these occur.. The time these "extra" backups are running has no relation to the scheduled time to start a backup. The logs have not shown any unusual events.
Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Yes, I have been trying to understand what it is doing for some time! Here is the information you requested:
ATI 2020 build 22510 YES;
Windows 10 YES;
One backup each day;
Backup whole disk using the incremental method, with currently four increments. I have tried a varying number of increments with the same outcome.
The backup files are stored on a NAS, so seeing the multiple backups and time/date run is easy. The system is left running without a logged in user, not sleeping, so remote access can be done using Chrome remote desktop. The multiple backups occur several hours after the scheduled backup and about two hours apart.
The desire is to have a full backup on Monday, the increments on Tuesday thru Friday and none on the weekend days.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Thanks for the further information / clarification.
Please can you zip up the backup_worker log files for one of the days when you are seeing this issue and post them here as a file attachment.
These can be found at C:\ProgramData\Acronis\TrueImageHome\Logs\backup_worker in Explorer. Putting them in a zip file will preserve the original file names making them easier to work with.
Please do the same with the Schedul22 logs found at C:\ProgramData\Acronis\Schedule2 for the same day.
Is your issue that you are not seeing any incremental files? All you see is a Full file and nothing else?
If yes, this is by design. Unlike prior versions of the app, TI 2020 incremental scheme backups store all incremental files under the associated Full backup. It you open the full backup in Explorer you will see all of the associated incremental files.
I believe I have identified the cause of the problem. The way the backups are run is as follows: at the end of the work day the system is left running with the user logged in. The backup runs and at completion via the Acronis post processing feature the user is logged off. The multiple backups are occurring when the "logoff" fails with error code "1" as can be seen in two of the attached log files. The other two log files are are examples of a successful logoff. Correcting my earlier run description, the multiple backups are being triggered for the most part immediately after a failed logoff. It is possible that there is some quirk with the Microsoft "logoff" command that is at issue. It took considerable searching to find it! Perhaps Acronis could add this as an option in addition to the "shutdown" command, which does work, as I have used that in the past without any similar problems.
The log files referenced above do not exist on this system, at least in the locations indicated. I believe the attached files contain all the information related to the backup.
Thanks for listening. I hope a solution will appear.
PS: incremental "tib" files are being created as can be seen in the attached log files.
Your failed post command can cause the backup to be flagged as failing and result in being retried.
22/03/2020 07:13:35:043 PM Child process has exited with code '1'.
22/03/2020 07:13:35:043 PM Execution of user command C:\Windows\WinSxS\wow64_microsoft-windows-t..es-commandlinetools_31bf3856ad364e35_10.0.18362.1_none_c16273b3aa9d6d1c\logoff.exe failed. Error code: 1
22/03/2020 07:13:35:074 PM Error 0x13c0005: Operation has completed with errors.
You may be able to simplify the post command by just using
shutdown /l
to do a shutdown with only a logoff action rather than calling the logoff.exe in the path shown.
If you want to force the logoff, then add the /f flag to the command but this may cause the task to also abort by being closed forcibly instead of letting it close gracefully.
Thank you for the analysis. Do you believe this is a "Windows" problem? Or, is there some kind of timing issue with the logoff and ATI finishing? It is still a question why the backup is repeatedly running when the logoff error occurs. And, why logoff works some of the time and not others. It would seem to me that any form of a "logoff" will result in this situation. Does Acronis follow this forum so they are aware of the problem? Or do I need to take this to them? Perhaps I should also make a feature request for a "logoff" option.
The good news is that the backups are working! I can report that earlier this year a backup from ATI 2019 recovered the disk after Windows itself rendered the system unbootable. We need to have confidence in the backup method being used.
This is primarily a user forum with little interaction with the Acronis folks, so if you want to raise this with Acronis you need to either open a support ticket with them or else take your chances on using the Feedback tool within the ATI GUI Help section. In either case you should include a reference to this forum topic.
I have to say that you are the first user that I have seen in the forums using a Post Command to do a user logoff for a backup task and have to ask why this should be necessary? If the computer power options are set correctly then the user account should be locked after a set idle period, or else, the user can logoff and leave the ATI backup task to run in the background on schedule.
My own laptop runs scheduled backups regardless of whether I am logged in or not, waking the computer from sleep to do so as needed.
First, I do think this needs attention by Acronis, and I will take one of the paths you suggest.
There are two reasons for using a logoff: there is the security concern with leaving the system running with a logged on user; and since remote access over the internet is needed, the system cannot be in sleep mode.
It was my understanding that a scheduled backup would only run if a user was logged in? If you are correct then that would explain why I am seeing backups running absent a logged in user. Again, why ATI initiates a backup following an error remains unexplained.
I will post when / if any resolution by Acronis appears.
See KB 2052: Scheduler2 Service - for relevant information on why ATI tasks still run without a user being logged in.