Re: Fresh install (ubuntu) permissions issues

[email protected] Sun, 10 May 2026 12:45:35 -0400
Newsgroups gmane.comp.sysutils.backup.backuppc.general
Message-ID <[email protected]>
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On Sun, May 10, 2026, at 10:18 AM, G.W. Haywood wrote:
> Hi there,
> 
> On Sun, 10 May 2026, backuppc@sundquist... wrote:
> 
> > ... working on G.W. Haywood's excellent instructions ...
> 
> You're too kind.  Let's see if they work. :)
> 
> > ...  I had to first set up a new machine.  The machine that crashed
> > was a raspberry pi (with a nvme instead of an SD card - still
> > crashed), so I am ditching that and went with a miniPC. I installed
> > a flavor of ubuntu.  ...
> 
> Since November 2019 I've been using a Raspberry Pi as one of several
> backup servers, and it's been fine.  To my mind there will always be
> questions about USB-connected drives, but after what I think I'd have
> to call a fairly shaky start with them on the older (pre-Pi3B+) Pis
> they seem to have settled down well with one notable exception.  That
> (unfortunately) is my wife's desktop machine, which for years has been
> dropping its USB-attached disc after uptimes of anything between a few
> days and a few weeks.  We're still looking for the problem.  Replacing
> hardware and software wholesale has so far failed to pinpoint it.  All
> our other Pis have been fine even as fairly heavily loaded (for a Pi:)
> database servers.  OTOH *every* mini PC that I've used has, without
> exception, been solid.  

Not backuppc-related, but I had the problem of usb drives dropping from another mini-PC (that one running insync to backup my files to google drive (my offsite backup)).  So now I run this script from cron daily, piping the output to a log file:

---
#!/bin/bash

cd /
device=`ls /dev/disk/by-uuid/dc01e09e-ab4e-46d0-b639-d0c302d3b9f2 -l | awk -F/ '{print $NF}'`  #find which file in /dev/ is my disk

if [ _"`grep /dev/$device /etc/mtab`" = _ ] ; then
    mounted=0 # there is no record of this device in /etc/mtab
    date
    echo "Device /dev/$device is not mounted"
    mount  /dev/$device /backup
        cd /backup
        chmod -R a+rw .
else
    mounted=1 # record found => mounted
    date
    echo "Device /dev/$device is mounted"
    # umount  /dev/$device
fi
---

This works to keep it mounted.  Both that mini-PC and the one I just got for backuppc are old Lenovo thinkcenters you can get relatively cheap on ebay.
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<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title></title></head><body><div style=3D"fon=
t-family:Verdana;"><br></div><div>On Sun, May 10, 2026, at 10:18 AM, G.W=
. Haywood wrote:</div><blockquote type=3D"cite" id=3D"qt" style=3D""><di=
v style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">Hi there,</div><div style=3D"font-famil=
y:Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">On Sun, 10 May=
 2026, backuppc@sundquist... wrote:</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verda=
na;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&gt; ... working on G=
.W. Haywood's excellent instructions ...</div><div style=3D"font-family:=
Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">You're too kind.=
&nbsp; Let's see if they work. :)</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana=
;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&gt; ...&nbsp; I had to=
 first set up a new machine.&nbsp; The machine that crashed</div><div st=
yle=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&gt; was a raspberry pi (with a nvme instea=
d of an SD card - still</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&gt; cr=
ashed), so I am ditching that and went with a miniPC. I installed</div><=
div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&gt; a flavor of ubuntu.&nbsp; ...</d=
iv><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-fami=
ly:Verdana;">Since November 2019 I've been using a Raspberry Pi as one o=
f several</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">backup servers, and i=
t's been fine.&nbsp; To my mind there will always be</div><div style=3D"=
font-family:Verdana;">questions about USB-connected drives, but after wh=
at I think I'd have</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">to call a f=
airly shaky start with them on the older (pre-Pi3B+) Pis</div><div style=
=3D"font-family:Verdana;">they seem to have settled down well with one n=
otable exception.&nbsp; That</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">(u=
nfortunately) is my wife's desktop machine, which for years has been</di=
v><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">dropping its USB-attached disc aft=
er uptimes of anything between a few</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verd=
ana;">days and a few weeks.&nbsp; We're still looking for the problem.&n=
bsp; Replacing</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">hardware and sof=
tware wholesale has so far failed to pinpoint it.&nbsp; All</div><div st=
yle=3D"font-family:Verdana;">our other Pis have been fine even as fairly=
 heavily loaded (for a Pi:)</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">dat=
abase servers.&nbsp; OTOH *every* mini PC that I've used has, without</d=
iv><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">exception, been solid.&nbsp; <br>=
</div></blockquote><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;"><br></div><div st=
yle=3D"font-family:Verdana;">Not backuppc-related, but I had the problem=
 of usb drives dropping from another mini-PC (that one running insync to=
 backup my files to google drive (my offsite backup)).&nbsp; So now I ru=
n this script from cron daily, piping the output to a log file:</div><di=
v style=3D"font-family:Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Ver=
dana;">---</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">#!/bin/bash</div><di=
v style=3D"font-family:Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Ver=
dana;">cd /</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">device=3D`ls /dev/d=
isk/by-uuid/dc01e09e-ab4e-46d0-b639-d0c302d3b9f2 -l | awk -F/ '{print $N=
F}'`&nbsp; #find which file in /dev/ is my disk</div><div style=3D"font-=
family:Verdana;"><br></div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">if [ _"`g=
rep /dev/$device /etc/mtab`" =3D _ ] ; then</div><div style=3D"font-fami=
ly:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; mounted=3D0 # there is no record of this=
 device in /etc/mtab</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbs=
p;&nbsp; date</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp=
; echo "Device /dev/$device is not mounted"</div><div style=3D"font-fami=
ly:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; mount&nbsp; /dev/$device /backup</div><d=
iv style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&n=
bsp; cd /backup</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nb=
sp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; chmod -R a+rw .</div><div style=3D"font-fami=
ly:Verdana;">else</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp; mounted=3D1 # record found =3D&gt; mounted</div><div style=3D"font=
-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; date</div><div style=3D"font-family=
:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; echo "Device /dev/$device is mounted"</div=
><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; # umount&nbsp; /=
dev/$device</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">fi</div><div style=3D=
"font-family:Verdana;">---</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;"><br>=
</div><div style=3D"font-family:Verdana;">This works to keep it mounted.=
&nbsp; Both that mini-PC and the one I just got for backuppc are old Len=
ovo thinkcenters you can get relatively cheap on ebay.</div></body></htm=
l>
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