Datto Linux Agent troubleshooting steps

Topic

This article explains general troubleshooting steps for the Datto Linux Agent.

Environment

  • Datto Linux Agent

Description

NOTE  If the partition size on a Linux agent volume changes, you will need to destroy the live dataset for that volume before backups can continue. Otherwise, backups can fail in a "Snapshot exceeds target size" error state.

On systems running kernel 4.17 or greater, a reboot may result in a differential merge backup. Datto does not currently support virtualization of systems that require hypervisor pre-configuration (either via ignition or cloud-init). Refer to the following sections for steps to help you troubleshoot the Datto Linux Agent.

Check that all prerequisites are met

See our Getting started with the Datto Linux Agent knowledge base article to review the prerequisites or the Datto Linux Agent and address any missing requirements.

Troubleshooting resource errors

Operation timed out after X milliseconds with 0 bytes received

This error is caused predominantly by either local or network latency. Datto recommends ensuring the local disk, CPU, and memory on the protected machine are not under an excessive load. See Getting started with the Datto Linux Agent for minimum requirements.

You can use tools such as htop, top, and iostat on your protected system to measure and display the load on its local resources.

Update the Datto Linux Agent

Ensure the Datto Linux Agent is running the latest version of the agent software. The currently installed version of the agent will appear on the home page and Protect tab of the Datto device's UI. Update the software as necessary. See Installing and Updating the Datto Linux Agent for more information.

Check the status of the Linux agent packages on your protected machine

Debian/Ubuntu:

dpkg -l dlad

If dlad appears to have issues, refer to Datto Linux Agent: Troubleshooting DLAD failures.

If the dattobd driver appears to be malfunctioning on the agent machine

  1. Use modprobe to reload the driver:

    sudo modprobe -r dattobd && sudo modprobe dattobd

  1. Verify the driver is loaded:

    lsmod | grep dattobd

If you had trouble installing the Linux Agent, or if the backups never worked, you can try reinstalling the agent packages. First, remove the packages and then reinstall them by running the following commands on the affected machine.

  1. Remove the agent packages:

    • Debian/Ubuntu:

      sudo apt-get remove dattobd-dkms dattobd-utils libdattobd1 libmercury++0 libmercuryftp0

      sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/datto-linux-agent.list

    • RHEL/CentOS:

      sudo yum erase dkms-dattobd libdattobd libmercury++ libmercuryftp dattobd-utils datto-el-rpm-release

    • Fedora 22+:

      sudo yum erase dkms-dattobd libdattobd libmercury++ libmercuryftp dattobd-utils datto-fedora-rpm-release

    • OpenSuse

      sudo zypper remove dkms-dattobd libdattobd1 libmercury++0 dattobd-utils libmercuryftp0

      sudo zypper remove datto-opensuse-rpm-release

    • SLE

      sudo zypper remove dkms-dattobd libdattobd1 libmercury++0 dattobd-utils libmercuryftp0

      sudo zypper remove datto-sle-rpm-release

  2. Before installing the agent, be sure to install any required kernel header packages:

    • Debian/Ubuntu:

      sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

    • RHEL/CentOS:

      sudo yum install kernel-devel-$(uname -r)

    NOTE  On CentOS, the above command will only download the latest version for the kernel headers. If you need to update kernel headers for an older distribution, you can obtain them from the CentOS on the Web repository (external link).

  3. Reinstall the agent packages:

    curl -sS https://cpkg.datto.com/getLinuxAgent.txt | sudo bash

Gather the Logs

If you need help, you can visit our Community Forum or open a support ticket. When opening a case with our team, gather the following files from the production machine, and attach them to your ticket:

  • Attach /var/log/messages (standard syslog location) or /var/log/syslog(Debian/Ubuntu syslog location).
  • If neither of the above logs exists, access syslog with journalctl.

You should also include:

    • /var/log/kern.log.
    • /var/log/dmesg.
    • /etc/datto/dla/logs/dba_<year>-<month>-<day>.log.
    • /etc/datto/dla/agent.sqlite. This log contains the job information in an SQLite database. In Datto Linux Agent versions older than 2.0, you will find this log file at /etc/datto/dla/dlad.sqlite.

Additional Resources