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[CPANEL-24094] Relative paths required for backup destinations

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27 comments

  • GOT
    Is the remote destination validated and enabled?
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  • cPanelMichael
    Hello @abdelhost77, Could you run the commands referenced below on the affected cPanel server and let us know the output? cat /usr/local/cpanel/version cat /var/cpanel/backups/config cat /var/cpanel/backups/$$$.backup_destination
    Replace "/$$$.backup_destination" with the actual file name associated with the remote backup destination on your system, and ensure to exclude the hostname, ID, and password from the output. Additionally, can you provide us with any error messages that appear in /usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup_transporter.log during the most recent backup transport attempt? Thank you.
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  • abdelhost77
    Thanks for feedback yes Additional destinations is created and enabled Looks like no error in the logs file, please see below outputs. root# grep error /usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup_transporter.log root# root# cat /usr/local/cpanel/version 11.76.0.7 root# cat /var/cpanel/backups/config --- BACKUPACCTS: 'yes' BACKUPBWDATA: 'no' BACKUPDAYS: 1,3,5 BACKUPDIR: /backup2 BACKUPENABLE: 'yes' BACKUPFILES: 'yes' BACKUPLOGS: 'no' BACKUPMOUNT: 'yes' BACKUPSUSPENDEDACCTS: 'yes' BACKUPTYPE: incremental BACKUP_DAILY_ENABLE: 'yes' BACKUP_DAILY_RETENTION: 1 BACKUP_MONTHLY_DATES: 1 BACKUP_MONTHLY_ENABLE: 'yes' BACKUP_MONTHLY_RETENTION: 1 BACKUP_WEEKLY_DAY: 0 BACKUP_WEEKLY_ENABLE: 'no' BACKUP_WEEKLY_RETENTION: 4 CHECK_MIN_FREE_SPACE: 1 DISABLE_METADATA: 'no' ERRORTHRESHHOLD: 3 FORCE_PRUNE_DAILY: 0 FORCE_PRUNE_MONTHLY: 0 FORCE_PRUNE_WEEKLY: 0 GZIPRSYNCOPTS: --rsyncable KEEPLOCAL: 1 LINKDEST: 0 LOCALZONESONLY: 'no' MAXIMUM_RESTORE_TIMEOUT: 21600 MAXIMUM_TIMEOUT: 7200 MIN_FREE_SPACE: 5 MIN_FREE_SPACE_UNIT: percent MYSQLBACKUP: accounts POSTBACKUP: 'no' PREBACKUP: -1 PSQLBACKUP: 'no' root# cat /var/cpanel/backups/xxx.backup_destination --- authtype: password disabled: 0 host: id: xxxxxx name: xxxx password: "xxxx" path: backup/xxx/xxx port: xxx timeout: 30 type: Rsync upload_system_backup: 0 username: root
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  • cPanelMichael
    root# grep error /usr/local/cpanel/logs/cpbackup_transporter.log root#

    Hello @abdelhost77, Do you see any output at all in this log file during the backup attempt? Sometimes the culprit isn't identifiable with the "error" term. Thank you.
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  • abdelhost77
    Hi @
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  • cPanelMichael
    Hello @abdelhost77, The backup directory on remote systems is always created relative to the home directory of the logged in user on the remote system. Thus, you'll need to use a value like this for the backup directory when configuring the remote destination since your configured user is root: /../backup/
    Thank you. Edit For Accuracy: This is no longer applicable as of cPanel & WHM version 76. See updated post here:
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  • abdelhost77
    Thanks @cPanelMichael But did not work when I choose : /../backup/ It raise the error : You must enter a relative path.
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  • hekg
    I just started having a problem backup up to external remote hard drive because of new 'must use relative path' rule. My backups were working just fine until very recently where my remote backup location was set up like /Volumes/5TB-drive/whm-backups I started to notice that my backups were no longer appearing in the usual place and it turned out to be that WHM backup config page no longer accepts the first /slash in the backup directory setting and returned a 'You must enter a relative path' error. The problem now is that if I get rid of the first slash, then the backups will be sent to my primary hard drive in a new directory that the backup system creates called Mac-Drive/Volumes/5TB-drive/whm-backups. As you can see, the backups are not being saved to the external drive but rather to the main internal drive of my Mac in a directory named the same as the one in the external drive that I need it to go to. This is a new issue because I was alway having my backups go to the correct place on the 5tb external. How can I set this up so that I can use my 'external drive' again and not my Mac's 'internal drive'? thanks
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  • hekg
    Here's a screenshot of my correct directory setting before recent whm updates showing an error because of the first slash. On the other screenshot the error disappears when the first slash is removed but now the backups do not go to the external drive as needed.
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  • cPanelMichael
    But did not work when I choose : /../backup/ It raise the error : You must enter a relative path.

    I just started having a problem backup up to external remote hard drive because of new 'must use relative path' rule.

    Hello, As of cPanel & WHM version 76, it looks like it's no longer possible to enter an absolute path when configuring the remote destination via the Web Host Manager UI. Internal case CPANEL-24094 is open to report the affect this change is having on administrators. I'll monitor this case and update this thread with more information on it's status as it becomes available. In the meantime, a workaround is to setup a symbolic link pointing the /root/$backup path on the destination server to the path of your preference. For example, to do this you'd run a command line this on the remote destination server: ln -s /home/backup /root/backup
    Let me know if the workaround helps. Thank you. Edit For Accuracy: Updated workaround. Updated sentence "it looks like it's no longer possible to enter a relative path" to "it looks like it's no longer possible to enter an absolute path".
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  • hekg
    thanks for that update. I just tried your workaround and will report back later.
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  • Monto
    Hello, I run 2 servers, one on cpanel v74, one on v76. On the v74, setting up a remote backup destination is straightforward - '/backup' delivers to that directory, which is on a second (backup) drive on the other server. However, on the v76, it demands relative paths (to the users home directory) so 'backup' (leading slashes give an error message) stores the remote backups in /root/backup, on the main drive and not the backup drive. I have been advised by cpanel that I can mount the drive, but I wonder what the reasoning is behind the change? Makes it harder that it was, or still is on the older version. Thanks.
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  • cPanelMichael
    Hello @Monto, I've moved your post to this thread. I'll continue to monitor internal case CPANEL-24094 and update this thread with new information as it becomes available. Thank you.
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  • dalem
    Just a note the workaround does not work Noticed that the cpanel remote backup system filed up a remote root partition & crashed it with out of disk space which is not where the backup is, it is on a its own drive mounted @ /backup Best to put in a symbolic link from /root/
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  • cPanelMichael
    Hi @dalem, Thanks for the update. I've modified the suggested workaround in my earlier response.
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  • hekg
    Hello, any update on this issue? thanks
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  • Morphime
    Hi, i had some problems with my cpanel backups sinc ei upgraded to http2 and while debuging privileges i managed to make it work. The problem tho is that the sftp backup directory is relative to the home directory of the account and i cant make it save on the ftp partition already on my server.... it just create the path i had previously writen in the account's home directory which is not large enough example: backup directory: ftp/backup saves to: /home/mybackupaccount/ftp/backup path that it need to be saved: /ftp/backup previous config: /ftp/backup (now doesnt work because of the begining / not beeing allowed) saves to: /ftp/backup Is there a special syntax i need to use to make it go out of the home directory? I really need to fix this backup issue since its production server's backup
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  • cPanelMichael
    Hello @Morphime, I've merged your posts into this thread. I don't have an update to offer on the status of this case at this time, but I'll update this thread as soon as more information is available. Thank you.
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  • markleman
    I found this thread
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  • LBJ
    In the meantime, a workaround is to setup a symbolic link pointing the /root/$backup path on the destination server to the path of your preference. For example, to do this you'd run a command line this on the remote destination server: ln -s /home/backup /root/backup
    Let me know if the workaround helps.

    The symlink approach breaks the hard link creation process with remote incremental destinations. Modifying the /var/cpanel/backups/*.backup_destination file directly to provide a non-symlink path seems to be the only truly reliable workaround. Hopefully cPanel will return the logic to allow at least a path such as '/../backup_external' to the additional destinations screen to cater for sending backups via rsync to external drives on external servers. Best regards, LBJ
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  • arlindmurati
    Any update?
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  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    This has actually been a more complicated issue than it seems. On the surface, it seems like a trivial change to just adjust the path in the backup system. However, once we make the adjustment, we'll likely see as many complaints about tools requiring full paths instead of relative, as both get used in various systems. I have reached out to our backup team and they plan to discuss this more in-depth soon to see if we want to make a change on our side at all, or if we want to make a larger change to that system in general. So the short answer is "no," there isn't an update at this time, but we haven't forgotten about this issue.
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  • dscreative
    This has actually been a more complicated issue than it seems. On the surface, it seems like a trivial change to just adjust the path in the backup system. However, once we make the adjustment, we'll likely see as many complaints about tools requiring full paths instead of relative, as both get used in various systems. I have reached out to our backup team and they plan to discuss this more in-depth soon to see if we want to make a change on our side at all, or if we want to make a larger change to that system in general. So the short answer is "no," there isn't an update at this time, but we haven't forgotten about this issue.

    I'm baffled as to why this still hasn't been fixed. It's been over a year since your last update. You don't have to make it so it only accepts "full paths". You just have to remove the requirement for relative paths. Just take out the validation. It's a five minute job. For years now we've had to manually edit the destinations file every time to make this feature work. I really can't understand why this can't be fixed very easily.
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  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    @dscreative - Let me reach out to the team and I'll see if I can get an update.
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  • cPRex Jurassic Moderator
    At this point it doesn't sound like they plan to make this change, unfortunately.
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