Avamar: Data Domain Integration: Checkpoint backups to Data Domain fail due to the incorrect ownership of backupupgradefiles.tar

Overview:

Checkpoint backups save a copy of the checkpoints from a Single node Avamar server, AVE, VDP, or VBA to the Data Domain for disaster recovery. 

Symptoms:

No checkpoint backup (cpbackup) is created on the Data Domain (DD).

The following events can be seen in the /usr/local/avamar/var/client/cpbackup-cp.<tag>.log:

grep -i "tar.*denied" /usr/local/avamar/var/client/cpbackup-cp.20161026142704-101850.log

[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Backup upgrade files path: /tmp/backups_20161031_093448
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Creating /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Execute: tar -cvf /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar -C /tmp/backups_20161031_093448 . 2>&1
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Execute output:
tar: /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar: Cannot open: Permission denied
 tar: Error is not recoverable: exiting now
..
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Error code: 2
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Changing permissions for /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Execute: chmod a+r /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar 2>&1
[Mon Oct 31 09:34:48 2016] Error code: 1
..
 ddrmaint cp-backup-finish Command failed. Error code: 1.

First seen after an upgrade to Avamar v7.3.0.226, the checkpoint backup to Data Domain fails if the /tmp directory contains the backupupgradefiles.tar file with root ownership.

In Avamar 7.3.0.226 MCS cannot access the /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar file if it is owned by root user.

This file is removed at the end of every successful checkpoint backup operation.

A failure in the checkpoint backup operation can leave the backupupgradefiles.tar file in the /tmp directory.

Although the issue should be resolved for Avamar Versions 7.5 and higher, it is worth verifying that this is not the issue:

1. Log in to the Avamar Utility Node as admin.

2. Elevate to root privilege.

3. Assuming it exists, remove the /tmp/backupupgradefiles.tar file.

4. Allow the next checkpoint backup to run during the maintenance window (after the hfscheck).

5. If there are still errors with the checkpoint backups, Create a Service Request with the Dell Technologies Avamar Support team.