First, sorry about the top posting.

Here is the errorlog:

Running:  ${Conf}{TarClientCmd} = ‘/usr/bin/sudo /bin/tar -c -v -f - -C /’ . ‘ -–totals’; --exclude=./proc --exclude=./dev --exclude=./tmp --exclude=./mnt --exclude=./media --exclude=./var/lib --exclude=./sys --exclude=./var/cache --exclude=./usr/src --exclude=./var/lock --exclude=./var/tmp --exclude=./lost+found --exclude=./var/spool --exclude=./var/run --exclude=./var/games --exclude=./home/*/.Trash --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache.Trash .
full backup started for directory /
Xfer PIDs are now 2173,2172
Wide character in print at /usr/share/backuppc/lib/BackupPC/Lib.pm line 1330.
Exec failed for  ${Conf}{TarClientCmd} = ‘/usr/bin/sudo /bin/tar -c -v -f - -C /’ . ‘ -–totals’; --exclude=./proc --exclude=./dev --exclude=./tmp --exclude=./mnt --exclude=./media --exclude=./var/lib --exclude=./sys --exclude=./var/cache --exclude=./usr/src --exclude=./var/lock --exclude=./var/tmp --exclude=./lost+found --exclude=./var/spool --exclude=./var/run --exclude=./var/games --exclude=./home/*/.Trash --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache.Trash .
tarExtract: Done: 0 errors, 0 filesExist, 0 sizeExist, 0 sizeExistComp, 0 filesTotal, 0 sizeTotal
Got fatal error during xfer (No files dumped for share /)
Backup aborted (No files dumped for share /)
Not saving this as a partial backup since it has fewer files than the prior one (got 0 and 0 files versus 0)

Here is the verbose output of my test command:

root@dtback01:~# sudo -u backuppc /usr/share/backuppc/bin/BackupPC_dump -v -f localhost
cmdSystemOrEval: about to system /bin/ping6 -c 1 localhost
cmdSystemOrEval: finished: got output PING localhost(localhost) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from localhost: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.025 ms

--- localhost ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.025/0.025/0.025/0.000 ms

cmdSystemOrEval: about to system /bin/ping6 -c 1 localhost
cmdSystemOrEval: finished: got output PING localhost(localhost) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from localhost: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.025 ms

--- localhost ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.025/0.025/0.025/0.000 ms

CheckHostAlive: returning 0.025
Wide character in print at /usr/share/backuppc/lib/BackupPC/FileZIO.pm line 302.
Running:  ${Conf}{TarClientCmd} = ‘sudo /bin/tar -c -v -f - -C /’ . ‘ –totals’; --exclude=./proc --exclude=./dev --exclude=./tmp --exclude=./mnt --exclude=./media --exclude=./var/lib --exclude=./sys --exclude=./var/cache --exclude=./usr/src --exclude=./var/lock --exclude=./var/tmp --exclude=./lost+found --exclude=./var/spool --exclude=./var/run --exclude=./var/games --exclude=./home/*/.Trash --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache.Trash .
full backup started for directory /
started full dump, share=/
Xfer PIDs are now 29915,29914
xferPids 29915,29914
cmdExecOrEval: about to exec Wide character in print at /usr/share/backuppc/lib/BackupPC/Lib.pm line 1323.
\$\{Conf\}\{TarClientCmd\} = ‘sudo /bin/tar -c -v -f - -C /’ . ‘ –totals’\; --exclude=./proc --exclude=./dev --exclude=./tmp --exclude=./mnt --exclude=./media --exclude=./var/lib --exclude=./sys --exclude=./var/cache --exclude=./usr/src --exclude=./var/lock --exclude=./var/tmp --exclude=./lost+found --exclude=./var/spool --exclude=./var/run --exclude=./var/games --exclude=./home/\*/.Trash --exclude=./home/\*/.mozilla/\*/\*/Cache --exclude=./home/\*/.mozilla/\*/\*/Cache.Trash .
Wide character in print at /usr/share/backuppc/lib/BackupPC/Lib.pm line 1330.
Exec failed for  ${Conf}{TarClientCmd} = ‘sudo /bin/tar -c -v -f - -C /’ . ‘ –totals’; --exclude=./proc --exclude=./dev --exclude=./tmp --exclude=./mnt --exclude=./media --exclude=./var/lib --exclude=./sys --exclude=./var/cache --exclude=./usr/src --exclude=./var/lock --exclude=./var/tmp --exclude=./lost+found --exclude=./var/spool --exclude=./var/run --exclude=./var/games --exclude=./home/*/.Trash --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache --exclude=./home/*/.mozilla/*/*/Cache.Trash .
tarExtract: Done: 0 errors, 0 filesExist, 0 sizeExist, 0 sizeExistComp, 0 filesTotal, 0 sizeTotal
Got fatal error during xfer (No files dumped for share /)
cmdSystemOrEval: about to system /bin/ping6 -c 1 localhost
cmdSystemOrEval: finished: got output PING localhost(localhost) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from localhost: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.039 ms

--- localhost ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.039/0.039/0.039/0.000 ms

cmdSystemOrEval: about to system /bin/ping6 -c 1 localhost
cmdSystemOrEval: finished: got output PING localhost(localhost) 56 data bytes
64 bytes from localhost: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.026 ms

--- localhost ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.026/0.026/0.026/0.000 ms

CheckHostAlive: returning 0.026
Backup aborted (No files dumped for share /)
Can't cd to /root: Permission denied

Here is the last few lines of my visudo file:

# Members of the admin group may gain root privileges
%admin ALL=(ALL) ALL

# Allow members of group sudo to execute any command
%sudo   ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

# See sudoers(5) for more information on "#include" directives:

#includedir /etc/sudoers.d
# Allow backuppc to run tar without a password
backuppc ALL=NOPASSWD: /bin/tar

And near the end of "tail -f /var/log/auth.log" is:

Jul 20 06:33:23 dtback01 sudo:     root : TTY=pts/1 ; PWD=/root ; USER=backuppc ; COMMAND=/usr/share/backuppc/bin/BackupPC_dump -v -f localhost
Jul 20 06:33:23 dtback01 sudo: pam_unix(sudo:session): session opened for user backuppc by root(uid=0)
Jul 20 06:33:31 dtback01 sudo: pam_unix(sudo:session): session closed for user backuppc

I used this same setup versions ago and it worked (Backuppc 3.3.0 on U13.10, I think) could this be apparmor blocking it somehow?

As I have not setup ufw, yet, I know it is not the firewall (this box is behind a hardware firewall so it is safe.)

Could it be selinux blocking something?

The apparmor and selinux are two programs I see many different tutorials being disabled for various reasons, that is why I suggest these as possibilities.

As everyone can see I am using tar for my localhost backup . . . but that doesn't mean I am not open to suggestions.

And finally, sorry about the "scratching my head" humor.

Bob.

From: "Adam Goryachev" <mailinglists AT websitemanagers.com DOT au>
To: backuppc-users AT lists.sourceforge DOT net
Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2016 10:52:01 AM
Subject: Re: [BackupPC-users] localhost Can't cd to /root: Permission denied

It is. farragut is my backuppc host.

Is there anything of interest in the logs, specifically the error log?

And do you have your sudoers set up properly?

On Tue, Jul 19, 2016 at 10:22 AM, Bob of Donelson Trophy <bob AT donelsontrophy DOT net> wrote:

Thanks for the response, Brad.

I need to clarify that I can backup other hosts just NOT the localhost and I am confused as to why I cannot.

I see, by your "backup command" that your using rsync. Is this the command to backup your localhost?

I just tried ssh-ing into the locahost (first time I can remember that experience) and it worked.

Re-ran my test command "sudo -u backuppc /usr/share/backuppc/bin/BackupPC_dump -v -f localhost" and got the same "Backup aborted (No files dumped for share /)" and "Can't cd to /root: Permission denied".

Scratching my head! What is it?

Not sure if scratching your head is helping.... otherwise you might consider sending the complete output from your debug commands to the list, then if nothing else, we can scratch our heads while looking at the same cryptic details.
You might also want to check /var/log to see what information is logged there
Generally, you can simply configure the localhost backup indentically to any other machine, the only difference is the name of the machine. Personally, I always use rsync over ssh.

Finally, a copy of the relevant configuration would also be useful...

Regards,
Adam

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