Cron issue using backup software - Solved

[mikee99]

We are using the backup program Microlite Backup Edge on a Centos OS. When running the program from the menu, we can backup with no problem. When we schedule a backup in cron, we get an error "file size limit exceeded". The ulimit of the system is unlimited and this program has been running for years. It has just happened recently and the program will not run. Any ideas?

Thanks

[Oralloy]

mikee99,

This may be a trifle off the mark, but is your backup file size crossing the 2 GiByte or 4 GiByte threshold?

Oralloy

[mikee99]

No it isn't. I would suspect if the files were too big the backup couldn't run from the menu...which it can. I think it must be to do with how cron does the job. the error is "sh line 1. File size limit exceeded /usr/lib/edge/bin/edge.nightly. "edge.nightly" is the executable of the scheduled backup program.

Thanks for replying. I'm sure someone has seen or heard of this and it's an easy fix.

[Oralloy]

mikee99,

Likely it is relatively easy.

What diagnostics have you run?

What might have changed on your system just before this problem started?

Is there a user-account difference between running from the menu, and running under cron?

Are there any other differences?

I know I'm just suggesting standard diagnostic methods.

[mikee99]

This will be a standard user answer..lol..."nothing changed" from May 2 when the backup ran fine to May 3rd when the error began. This server never gets touched. It just runs a database. I know something has changed in the system but I don't know what cron sees about file size limit when the ulimit is unlimited.

[Oralloy]

mikee99,

I kind of figured that "nothing changed" was going to be the answer, but I had to ask. :)

I can offer a couple of suggestions:
1) At the top of the nightly script, put a "ulimit -a" and verify that the limit is truly unrestricted.
2) Is there anything else in the script, or is it a one-liner invoking Microlite?
3) Command line option differences between the cron script and menu invocation?
4) Check your file-system - are you running low on space? "df -k"
5) Check disk quotas - I know the concept is practically obsolete, but I've been bitten before.
6) Call Microlite and ask for some help?

Yeah, all first-grader sorts of suggestions, I know.

Oralloy

[mikee99]

First, I want to thank you for taking the time to help me.
This is a program file so I can't edit it.
Cron runs the command at a certain time and that is it...it has done the same thing now for 6 years - no issues.
Lots of space...the full system backup with verify only takes 3 hours and we ran a menu initiated backup yesterday.
I have contacted Microlite - they don't know

It must have something to do with how cron runs a program.
the error line is
sh Line 1 (a # that varies) File limit exceeded /usr/lib/edge/bin/edge.nightly

[Nepomuk]

Just a thought: you say you can run Microlite from the menu but not from cron. Have you checked, whether the command which cron runs works if you run it via command line? Maybe there has been an update that broke the syntax or something like that.

[mikee99]

Hello
Thanks you for your input. Microlite support which you can get free email support is pretty good. Arne gets back very quickly. He asked for the .debug file to be sent to him. When I checked the file it was huge 2147483647 bytes. I ran the program from the command line and received the "File size limit exceeded error". I then made a copy of .debug the cat /dev/null > .debug. I reran the program from the comman line and I did not receive the error. We will see if cron is able to run the program tonight. I will post if we have success. :)

[mikee99]

Clearing the .debug file (reducing the size) fixed the issue. I was told this was a bug in Microlite and the .debug file was appending instead of overwriting as it should be doing.
Thanks for all your suggestions.