Cowardly refusing to create an empty archive. Plesk Onyx Backup on Debian 9

[hugendubel]

Hi,

i had a server under Debian 8 and the latest Plesk Onyx. Created a full server backup (without errors).

After that, i reinstalled the new Debian 9 with Plesk Onyx (clean installation) und uploaded the backup .tar from the old version. Everything works fine!

BUT:
Under Debian 9 (stable) the backup process gives me the following error:

Warning: server "server"
Not all the data was backed up into /var/lib/psa/dumps successfully. Total space: 438.00 GB; Available space: 413.00 GB; Mounted on: /var. /bin/tar: Cowardly refusing to create an empty archive Try '/bin/tar --help' or '/bin/tar --usage' for more information.

Warning: server "server"
Not all the data was backed up into /var/lib/psa/dumps successfully. Total space: 438.00 GB; Available space: 413.00 GB; Mounted on: /var. /bin/tar: Cowardly refusing to create an empty archive Try '/bin/tar --help' or '/bin/tar --usage' for more information.

Logifle: /var/log/plesk/PMM/pmmcli.log is attached below


How can this issue be fixed?

 

[ChristophRo]

We have the same problem, but for now I did not really look into it any further.
So far I did not see anything missing on the restores I've performed, so I'm assuming that these error messages could occure for sites that have no files in the webroot or something like that.

 

[hugendubel]

... so I'm assuming that these error messages could occure for sites that have no files in the webroot or something like that.

On this Server are 3 Domains including 3 Subdomains, all of them have file-, & mail-, & database Content.

 

[SGISoft]

Hello,
I have the same problem. And in my case the installation is from scratch, both the Debian 9 and plesk Onyx 17.8.x were installed on a new machine.
Use to store backup copies "sfk ftpserver" locally
The copies seem to do them correctly but I get errors like these:


Not all the data was backed up into / var / lib / psa / dumps successfully. Total space: 893.00 GB; Available space: 775.00 GB; Mounted on: / var. / bin / tar: Cowardly rejection to create an empty file Try '/ bin / tar --help' or '/ bin / tar --usage' for more information.

 

[Mathes]

HI,

Have you solve your problem, because i have the same...

But when I look into /var/lib/psa/dump the backup is into the folder.

Thank you

 

[Bitpalast]

The problem is that you are using file name or directory names that are starting with a dash (hyphen) "-". The tar program interprets such file or directory names as a command line parameter. It will all work correctly when you change your "wrong" file and directory names. Never star them with a hyphen.

 

[Mathes]

Hi,

But i don’t write anything because it’s the backup system Plesk onyx.

When I launch a backup directly on plesk ! I reveice this message, but if i look in folder the backup is make (correctly or not that’s question

Thanks !

 

[Bitpalast]

While packing files into an archive, tar encounters files that are name -*.* (starting with a hyphen). You need to find these files and rename them, else the operation will fail, because tar thinks, this is a parameter, not a file.

 

[Mathes]

I'm going to search -*.* in the server with filezilla

Have you an idea where this file is ? (the folder who are save with plesk backup ?)

thanks

 

[Miguel Nunes]

It was /opt/psa/admin/htdocs/images/custom_buttons in my case. There were two image files named with a dash at the beginning. This was generated by Plesk when I uploaded them, it should not happen.

Please fix this bug.

 

[Mathes]

THANK YOU !!

If found one file without extension, I upload on my pc and del on the serveur... Backup make correctly...

 

[H29]

Had the same problem.
The file /opt/psa/admin/htdocs/images/custom_buttons/-cbOKoQ was causing it in my case. It's a png image. I attached it here. Seems like it is from the uptime-Robot-Extension.
I never placed it there and I think official Plesk plugins ( Uptime Robot extension - Plesk ) should not break backups...

Beside the fact that it's shocking a file starting with a hyphen is able to break the backup. So a user may be able to pass cli-arguments to my backup process if he places a file with the name let's say '-c /etc/shadow ' in their directory? Great!

 

[H29]

Just for the awesome plesk-devs that doesn't seem to know that. If you want to tar a file with a starting hyphen / dash you use -- to seperate options from parameters. Like:

tar -czf backup.tar.gz -- -fileStartingWithDash.php subfolder/-anotherFile.js

 

[hugendubel]

In my case (i think), CGROUP(s) is causing the problem.

It generates files AND directories with a starting '-'.

They are named -.mount

After i renamed this files and directories, they are always generated new.


Any other ideas to fix this?

 

[ChristophRo]

Just to let you guys know, there is now a fix/workaround available for this problem (at least for the ones using Debian9)

Unable to create a backup: Cowardly refusing to create an empty archive

 

[hugendubel]

Just to let you guys know, there is now a fix/workaround available for this problem (at least for the ones using Debian9)

Thanks, this fix worked for me