Getting RAID timeouts

[Dewdman42]

I have been using SuperDuper with great success for the past few months, with a scheduled backup that takes place every night, which creates about 30GB read-only dmg file.

I have updated the backup to run a script at the end. I created a very simple shell script which looks like this:

cp -rp Retail_10.5.6_Latest.dmg /Volumes/PromiseRaid/Backup/SuperDuper/.

The PromiseRaid volume is a SMB share on another windows box.

I can run this shell script manually and it works fine.

When my SuperDuper backup runs, it has problems when it gets to this script. There is a dialog box that pops up that says something about AppleEvent timed out during copy job. I'm unable to close this box and instead have to resort to killing the copy process. I'm also getting time out messages from my RAID controller.

I don't understand why this copy script works fine on its own, but when Superduper tries to use this copy shell script, the RAID device on the other machine times out and the copy fails.

Any ideas?

[dnanian]

I'm guessing, but perhaps because the copy isn't completely done? What I'd suggest is tossing that script in the background and sleeping, say, a minute before actually starting the copy.

[Dewdman42]

Are you saying that SuperDuper is launching the shell script before it has completed its own previous steps? I can certainly add a 30 second sleep to the beginning of the script to see if that will fix things.

Its still odd that when I get up in the morning, I see this AppleEvents error dialog box(which I can't close), the shell script is no longer running, Super Duper is no longer running and the copy (from the shell script did not work). And why does it cause my RAID controller on the other machine to timeout? Nothing else I have been doing has caused that to happen.

[dnanian]

We're just running the script, but do try what I suggested - it's easy to do, and since it'll let SD! get out of the way before you start doing your thing, I think it'll be more likely to be successful.

As far as why the controller times out - I have no idea. Obviously, we can't affect your RAID controller.

[Dewdman42]

Since this is the only thing causing the RAID to timeout, and no copying is happening, there must be something about the way SuperDuper is launching the shell script. Somehow the shell script must be wedged waiting for something to clear on the mac, while the RAID is also waiting on the script. Like a deadlock.

I also don't get why there is a dialog box up in the morning saying "timed out during copy job", which I don't think should have anything to do with the shell script. I'll try to get a screenshot next time. That must be from SuperDuper also.

Anyway, I have updated the shell script to start with a 2 minute sleep. I have also updated the script to make sure that the full path name of both the source and dest files are specified. I have also modified the shell script to include this on the first line:

#!/bin/bash

Here is the whole script:

#!/bin/bash

SOURCE=/Volumes/Audio/SuperDuperImages/Retail_10.5.6_Latest.dmg
DEST=/Volumes/PromiseRaid/Backup/SuperDuper/Retail_10.5.6_Latest.dmg

sleep 120

cp -rp $SOURCE $DEST

Does SuperDuper go ahead and quit once it launches the shell script?

[dnanian]

We're going to wait for the script to finish. You get the error because the script task likely timed out.

You'll need to put this script in the background. That is:

#!/bin/bash
/bin/bash -c "sleep 120; cp -rp sourcefile destfile" &