rsync: mknod "..." failed: Invalid argument (22)

Question

rsync: mknod "..." failed: Invalid argument (22)

I'm using:

rsync -au /users/kennethsloan /Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers

Macula2TB is an external SSD formatted as ExFAT.

It runs smoothly, except for the error messages below.

I could simply exclude these Library files, but I'd like to understand the error. Any help?

rsync: mknod "/Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers/kennethsloan/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/Acrobat/Synchronizer/Commands" failed: Invalid argument (22)

rsync: mknod "/Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers/kennethsloan/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Acrobat/DC/Acrobat/Synchronizer/Notification" failed: Invalid argument (22)

rsync: mknod "/Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers/kennethsloan/Library/Application Support/com.nordvpn.osx/default.realm.note" failed: Invalid argument (22)

rsync: mknod "/Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers/kennethsloan/Library/Application Support/com.nordvpn.osx/default.realm.management/access_control.new_commit.cv" failed: Invalid argument (22)

rsync: mknod "/Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers/kennethsloan/Library/Application Support/com.nordvpn.osx/default.realm.management/access_control.pick_writer.cv" failed: Invalid argument (22)

rsync error: some files could not be transferred (code 23) at /AppleInternal/BuildRoot/Library/Caches/com.apple.xbs/Sources/rsync/rsync-54/rsync/main.c(996) [sender=2.6.9]

rsync -au /users/kennethsloan /Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers 18.93s user 2514.52s system 97% cpu 43:20.16 total

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.13

Posted on Apr 12, 2020 9:10 AM

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Answer 1

BobHarris

Level 9

55,109 points

Apr 12, 2020 12:57 PM in response to Kenneth Sloan

~/Library

Your application preferences
Your mail
Your bookmarks
Your iPhone backups
Any stuff an app wants to store related to your usage
An app may put some shared components there. Stuff they share with sister apps
etc...

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Answer 2

Apr 12, 2020 9:28 AM in response to BobHarris

Looks like that did the trick. It will be about a half hour for me to be sure. Previously, the errors popped up very early in the rsync. Now, it's well past that point (but not done, yet).

Assume it's fixed, unless I re-open the thread.

Thank you very much for the VERY PROMPT fix!

Last nit - can I suppress "file has vanished" warnings?

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Answer 3

Apr 12, 2020 11:22 AM in response to Kenneth Sloan

oops - adding E (rsync -auE ...) is causing it to run much longer, and generating errors like:

copyfile(.._kennethsloan.eiodzc,./kennethsloan, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Desktop.cGUPWJ,kennethsloan/Desktop, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Documents.BdHC19,kennethsloan/Documents, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Downloads.qh9H6x,kennethsloan/Downloads, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Library.trGOR8,kennethsloan/Library, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Movies.9OhMEr,kennethsloan/Movies, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Music.EEyh0l,kennethsloan/Music, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Pictures.3hroMK,kennethsloan/Pictures, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Public.6piKWN,kennethsloan/Public, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

copyfile(kennethsloan/.._Sites.g6If5w,kennethsloan/Sites, COPYFILE_UNPACK) failed:45

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Answer 4

Apr 12, 2020 11:50 AM in response to Kenneth Sloan

giving up - it was generating a huge number of errors, mostly of the form:

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._Localizable.strings.UV3RzF": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._InfoPlist.strings.iaJDyl": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._Localizable.strings.lyGiR0": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._InfoPlist.strings.2F29vM": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._Localizable.strings.SkJcBF": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._InfoPlist.strings.XBONLy": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._Localizable.strings.KNOa7v": No such file or directory

send_files failed to open "/tmp/.._InfoPlist.strings.TW2iG0": No such file or directory

I'm reverting to "rsync -auv ..." to try to get back to a stable state.

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Answer 5

BobHarris

Level 9

55,109 points

Apr 12, 2020 12:48 PM in response to Kenneth Sloan

If I may suggest.

Get and use Carbon Copy Cloner to move subdirectory trees. It uses its own rsync under the covers, and works extremely well.

I often use CCC to move folder trees from one location to another.

If you must script this rsync, then start CCC, capture the command using the 'ps ax | grep rsync' command, and then find where the CCC version of rsync is stored, make copy, and then borrow the CCC command line options to do your rsync.

Of course I also use CCC for backups.

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Answer 6

Apr 12, 2020 12:52 PM in response to Kenneth Sloan

I settled on this:

===============================================

#!/bin/zsh

time rsync \

-auv \

--exclude='kennethsloan/Library/*' \

/users/kennethsloan /Volumes/Macula2TB/CSGUsers

===============================================

It works perfectly. I like being pacified by the file list streaming past, and it's probably a *good* thing to not archive anything in the ~/Library/ tree. Am I mistaken about this? That is - is there really anything there worth backing up?

I'm confused by what adding 'E' to the options did - but not enough to pursue it further.

Thanks for the help.

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