Q: Time Machine Verification Issue

t.schaefer wrote:
. . .
I know this. At the beginning, I used the external backup-drive connected directly to my MB via USB for many months. Then I just tryed out to connect it to the AEBS, and everything worked fine, too, for more than 2 years.

Yup, that happens.

In addition: Not only TM-backup-HDs loose their connection to the AEBS, even data-HDs. I think this can not be the intention of apple, that files that should be transferred between two users via WLAN are suddenly not accessible, but again after unplugging the AEBS from mains and reconnecting (or starting AEBS-Configuration-Tool, choose "Restart AEBS" and waiting 3 Minutes).

Have you checked out the quality of your connection and interference?

I was only able to check the external HD via my Mac and there were shown no errors. I'm not able to check the HDs of the NAS directly, because they're EXT4-formatted and in a RAID-Configuration, but the internal check of the NAS software reports no errors.

You can't check anything on a network drive with Disk Utility, except a mounted +sparse bundle.+

Can you maybe specify some log files where I can find out, what TM exactly is missing or disliking?

See #A1 in Time Machine - Troubleshooting (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). But as long as the backups complete normally, you won't see anything unusual in the logs. And if it's a WIFI/connection problem, the most you'll probably see is a failed backup.

This is ABSURD!!!!!!!
TIME MACHINE has just deleted ALL OF MY BACKUPS!!!!!!

this is unacceptable. This is a known issue to Apple, and still no bugfix is out there?????

I am a mobile me member, pay $90/year for service, am a 10 y-o Apple customer, had 4 computers, 5 ipods, time machines and almost any other ******** this company puts up... and now what?? you delete my complete backup history??????

I am seriously mad. This is simply unacceptable. APPLE will have to compensate me!!!!!

I am furious!!!!!

Davidulo wrote:
. . .
I am seriously mad. This is simply unacceptable. APPLE will have to compensate me!!!!!

I am furious!!!!!

You not talking to Apple here. This is a user-to-user forum. Use the Contact link at the bottom of this page to find out how to rant to them directly.

Once you calm down, you might note the following:

• The OSX license agreement that you agreed to specifically excludes consequential damages.
  
  
• What's the destination for your backups? If it's a USB drive connected to an Airport Extreme, that's +*not supported by Apple.+* See: Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum). If it's a 3rd-party NAS, is it compatible with Apple's requirements here?: Disks that can be used with Time Machine.
  
  
• Presumably, you got this message:
  |
  
  
  |
  
  What part of +*This will remove your existing backup history+* was not clear?
  
  Apparently you did not select +Back Up Later.+

Same problem here ... almost.

I have a Snow Leopard server (Quad core 3GHz Intel Xeon) with an external FireWire connected RAID. I enabled backups using the server admin tools (AFP sharing over 1G Ethernet LAN) - an Apple supported configuration.

For the last several months my laptop is popping up the verification error message every 2 days or 200GB or so - it's fairly random. I connected an external USB drive to the server and enabled it for TM after the RAID was repeatedly giving this error to see if it was a hardware issue (I had reformatted the RAID several times). No joy there either.

Three other computers (2, including the server, are SL, one is Leopard) use the RAID for their TM backups on their own partitions - none of them has had a verification problem.

Looks like software to me.

Message was edited by: Dean Suhr

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I have a supported configuration as well. Leopard Server with shares enabled as Time Machine backup destinations. I have been getting this error on fresh and old backups on a regular basis. Is there a work around or a solution?

Turns out that my laptop had disk errors that Disk Utility did not identify. I just ran DiskWarrior, repaired everything on the laptop, reformatted and checked the RAID (to get rid of any residual errors --- now all is well.

Time Machine apparently was content to copy the files with the errors but upchucked after the fact when the verification of the backup was performed.

Hello,

I'm still having the problem.

After now months and months of always and again about every 2 weeks Time Machine erasing the backups on my NAS and starting a new one, I finally was fed up.

So I lately bought a Time Capsule 2 TB. First I disabled the TM-function of my NAS. Then replaced my AEBS with the new TC (installed it on 09/23/10). Then I did a complete backup.

One week everything seemed to work fine. But today I got again the "Time Machine Verification issue" message. TM is now working since one hour and has completed about 2 %. Tonight again a long night for my Macbook. Again loss of all backuped data and changes of the last week.

So the conclusion seems to me, that there is nothing wrong with my NAS. It must be something on my Macbook, that causes the "Time Machine Verification issues". Anyone any idea? Is it somehow possible to remove the "Time Capsule Backup Update" from June 2nd, after that the problem started?

Help strongly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Thomas

Yeah so this happened to my iMac yesterday against a Airport Extreme USB attached drive and I thought, okay, whatever, i'll lose my backups which ***** but hopefully I'll only have to do this once.

Now this message just popped up on my MacBook Pro and I'm guessing it'll eventually show up on my wife's MacBook.

So what is the deal, did my NAS become corrupted and now I have to start from scratch or is this symptomatic of a larger problem, a bug or something?

Reading some posts it seems like people are having this problem recur for them which would be unacceptable imho.

Tom Torrillo wrote:
Yeah so this happened to my iMac yesterday against a Airport Extreme USB attached drive

Backing-up that way is unreliable and +*not supported by Apple.+* See: [Using Time Machine with an Airport Extreme Air Disk|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/Airport.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum).

I understand but that still doesn't make it any less frustrating. Especially since backing up to an Air Disk has worked for me error-free for a couple of years now. To all of a sudden have this pop up out of nowhere is quite aggravating. If it recurs, I'll probably ditch Time Machine completely rather than give in and get a Time Capsule as backing up to any disk should be supported for any backup software, not just an Apple branded piece of hardware.

Tom Torrillo wrote:
I understand but that still doesn't make it any less frustrating. Especially since backing up to an Air Disk has worked for me error-free for a couple of years now.

You've been lucky. There are many, many threads here (and in the +Airport Extreme+ forum) with similar stories -- it works for a while (days, weeks, months), then problems start. Since Apple says it won't work, in no uncertain terms, it's hard to blame them when it doesn't.

If it recurs, I'll probably ditch Time Machine completely rather than give in and get a Time Capsule as backing up to any disk should be supported for any backup software, not just an Apple branded piece of hardware.

Time Machine is supported to non-Apple hardware, just not a USB drive on an Airport Extreme.

You have other alternatives. Time Machine will back up to a USB or FireWire external HD, if it's formatted for a Mac.

It will also back up to a shared drive connected to another Mac on the same local network, running Leopard or Snow Leopard.

Seeing the same backup errors again after a couple of weeks. Note that two weeks ago I took the partitioned DROBO out of the loop and am instead using a USB attached external drive on Mac OSX Server 10.6.4 - a supported configuration.

The way I see it there are only three choices here - please help me if you think I am incorrect:
1) There is an error on my laptop's drive that Time Machine is copying over to the backup drive and then upchucking during a later verification.
2) There is an error on the external backup drive (but it started as a clear reformat for this exercise).
3) The Time Machine software is ether corrupting the data upon storage or falsely reporting an error during verification.

What I've done ... (reference numbers above):
1) Ran Disk Utility and DiskWarrior on the laptop's drive.
2) Reformatted and started a full zero erase (not enough patience to complete it) on two different disks (partitioned DROBO and standalone single partition USB). Not likely it is a disk problem.
3) No way to check this out that I know of.

Not sure where to go next. I'm a 25 year Apple customer with probably a dozen Apple computers in my garage (not counting the 5 active machines and servers inside). I rate myself a sophisticated power user - I can't figure this out and am not frustrated easily.

Where/how can we find out what the actual error is? That seems to be the simple and appropriate approach.

Dean

Pondini wrote:
Time Machine is supported to non-Apple hardware, just not a USB drive on an Airport Extreme.

You have other alternatives. Time Machine will back up to a USB or FireWire external HD, if it's formatted for a Mac.

It will also back up to a shared drive connected to another Mac on the same local network, running Leopard or Snow Leopard.

I was unaware of this, are you saying that I can hook the external drive up via USB to my iMac and then have the iMac use that as a Time Machine disk AND have the two laptops wirelessly back up to that drive?

Tom Torrillo wrote:
. . .
I was unaware of this, are you saying that I can hook the external drive up via USB to my iMac and then have the iMac use that as a Time Machine disk AND have the two laptops wirelessly back up to that drive?

Yes, as long as it's big enough. See #22 in [Time Machine - Frequently Asked Questions|http://web.me.com/pondini/Time_Machine/FAQ.html] (or use the link in *User Tips* at the top of this forum), for setup instructions.

Dean Suhr wrote:
. . .
3) No way to check this out that I know of.
. .
Where/how can we find out what the actual error is? That seems to be the simple and appropriate approach.

Yes, but unfortunately there don't seem to be any detailed messages anywhere about what it found.

When using the USB drive, is it attached directly to the server, and backing it up? If so, are you sure it's journalled, with either the APM or GUID *Partition Map Scheme?*

Nearly all the cases where we've seen this message have been backups done over a network.