Alex, thank you for asking this question. I can never remember the directories 
that these more detailed logs are kept in.

Here's the portion of the file sendsize.20030416004501.debug pertaining to 
www:sda8 which ran last night:
.....
asking killpgrp to terminate
calculating for amname '/var/www/main/htdocs', dirname '/var/www/main/htdocs'
sendsize: getting size via gnutar for /var/www/main/htdocs level 0
sendsize: spawning /usr/lib/amanda/runtar in pipeline
sendsize: argument list: /bin/tar --create --file /dev/null --directory 
/var/www/main/htdocs --one-file-system --listed-incremental 
/var/lib/amanda/gnutar-lists/www_var_www_main_htdocs_0.new --sparse 
--ignore-failed-read --totals .
runtar: error [must be invoked by backup]

.....
(no size line match in above gnutar output)
.....
calculating for amname '/var/www', dirname '/var/www'
sendsize: getting size via gnutar for /var/www level 0
sendsize: spawning /usr/lib/amanda/runtar in pipeline
sendsize: argument list: /bin/tar --create --file /dev/null --directory 
/var/www --one-file-system --listed-incremental /var/lib/ama
nda/gnutar-lists/www_var_www_0.new --sparse --ignore-failed-read --totals 
--exclude ./htdocs/main .
runtar: error [must be invoked by backup]

.....
(no size line match in above gnutar output)
.....

The sendsize file for the backup  I just kicked off this morning has the same 
error reported, so I suspect that it also won't back up the sections of 
www:sda8.

I don't understand the error. As far as I know, nothings has changed with the 
amanda backup operator. Other partitions on this host still work fine.

Thanks for your thoughts on this, as I investigate further.

-Kevin

>>> Alexander JOLK <alexj AT buf DOT com> 04/16/03 12:22PM >>>

> There's no firewall between the client and server. In fact, the
> client and backup tapeserver are one and the same in this problem.

OK, so that rules out connection problems.  Can you check the timeout
values?  I'm sorry I'm probably asking for information that you already
gave; but do you have a /tmp/amanda/sendsize.<date>.debug to analyse? 
Here's how mine looks (on the server machine):
---
sendsize: debug 1 pid 1043800 ruid 0 euid 0 start time Wed Apr 16
00:45:09 2003
/usr/freeware/libexec/sendsize: version 2.4.2p2
calculating for amname '/etc', dirname '/etc'
sendsize: getting size via gnutar for /etc level 0
sendsize: missing exclude list file "/etc/amanda-exclude.gtar" discarded
sendsize: spawning /usr/freeware/libexec/runtar in pipeline
sendsize: argument list: /usr/freeware/bin/tar --create --file /dev/null
--direc
tory /etc --one-file-system --listed-incremental
/var/amanda/gnutar-lists/pac_et
c_0.new --sparse --ignore-failed-read --totals .
Total bytes written: 819200 (800kB, 620kB/s)
.....
sendsize: getting size via gnutar for /etc level 1
sendsize: missing exclude list file "/etc/amanda-exclude.gtar" discarded
sendsize: spawning /usr/freeware/libexec/runtar in pipeline
sendsize: argument list: /usr/freeware/bin/tar --create --file /dev/null
--direc
tory /etc --one-file-system --listed-incremental
/var/amanda/gnutar-lists/pac_et
c_1.new --sparse --ignore-failed-read --totals .
Total bytes written: 30720 (30kB, 462kB/s)
.....
---
(and so on for other disks on the same host.)

Alex

-- 
Alexander Jolk         /         BUF Compagnie
tel +33-1 42 68 18 28 /  fax +33-1 42 68 18 29