Local Backup via USB is failing [merged thread]

[mercuryterminal]

Hi,

Does anyone have a solution to this issue?

Thanks

[solaristist]

I'm having this problem too now. Did you get it resolved?

[boardmanl]

Hi,

I am a new owner of a Synology diskstation and I have had nothing but problems trying to run backups to a USB drive. Constant faliures with a differnt file failing each time causing the entire backup to abort.

When the backup aborts the whole thing has to start over from scratch!

I am running DSM 4.0 as well. Anecdotally I'd say it is a problem with 4.0.

I have filed a support ticket with synology and I'll see what they say.

[redwoodIT]

I am having the same problems on my DS410 (DSM4.0-2197). The backups keep failing when they get to a file containing some 3MB-4MB images. Does it have to do with file size? It worked perfectly before this though. Now my NAS is completely useless. Where are you when we need you Synology? Please fix this! Has anyone had any luck with backups by upgrading to DSM4.0-2198?

[boardmanl]

I don't think its file size. I have piles of FLAC files and 5mb+images and videos and how far the backup gets seems to be random.

Having searched through this forum the problem seems to be a recurring one.

Primarily see this mega thread:
http://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=160&t=32317

Or these other ones:
http://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=160&t=48358
http://forum.synology.com/enu/viewtopic.php?f=160&t=49426

and of course this thread as well.

Having read the mega thread I am thinking I made a mistake in buying a Synology NAS. Synology have great reviews but for me the ability to easily backup via usb one one of the highlights. Looking at the mega thread it seems this feature has never worked consistently.

Even the solutions in the thread seem like chicken waving as there seems to be no consensus on exactly what is causing the problem or how to kludge around it until Synology come up with a fix.

If someone knows how, I think this thread should be locked and people directed to the main thread to keep this all together in one place.

Leslie

[jamin0]

I have had this same problem with the DS211j and have been in contact with customer support about it for a long time. The best answer they could give me was to edit the kernel files and see what happens.

Backing up data must not be a priority for them.

[TheCorps]

Wanted to report that I was having the same USB local backup problem on my DS212j using the WD My Book Essential USB3.0 3 TB (WDBACW0030HBK) external drive. I was able to solve the problem by updating to the latest firmware on the WD My Book Essential and updating the DS212j to DSM 4.0-2198. On the WD website you can get the information on how to updated the firmware on their External HDs. Yesterday I successfully did a backup of 1.6 TB.

[jamin0]

I have also the same problem using :

- a 4 bays Mediasonic Probox HF2-SU2S2 USB 2.0 enclosure
- a 2 bays Thermaltake BlacX Duet
- a 1 bay Mediasonic USB 3.0 enclosure

Does someone knows if the DSM 4.0 solve this problem ?

I have the exact same set up. DSM 4.0 DOES NOT solve the problem.

[fabtech]

My backup problem was a corrupted FS. I started by opening a ticket with Synology.
Synology proposed a solutions that worked for me - (again, my backup now works):
1) ask Synology to run the "clean-up" FS utility to fix the corrupted FS.
2) Delete and recreate (reformat) the HDDs, including the Volume with a brand new FS, EXT4.

[gunrunnerjohn]

My backup problem was a corrupted FS. I started by opening a ticket with Synology.
Synology proposed a solutions that worked for me - (again, my backup now works):
1) ask Synology to run the "clean-up" FS utility to fix the corrupted FS.
2) Delete and recreate (reformat) the HDDs, including the Volume with a brand new FS, EXT4.

I really get tired of saying this, but that does NOT solve the USB problem. Been there, done that, Burned the T-Shirt.

[redwoodIT]

SOLUTION: Instead of running a single backup with all the shared folders included, I've broken them down into smaller backups. One shared folder for each backup task. This seems to work consistently, so far. Let me know if this works for you guys as well!

edit: make sure you set your backup time increments accordingly. (I have mine setup all through Sunday at 30min-60min time intervals, but this will depend on file size and transfer speeds)

BTW I'm running a DS410 with DSM4.0-2197 (scared to "update" :-/)

EDIT: Someone merged all four threads, Thanks OP.

[jamin0]

I have been working with Synology customer support for weeks and they finally came back to be with a definitive answer on why backups were failing. Below is their last email reply to me:

Hello Jamin,

It looks like your Mediasonic external enclosure is using JMicron chipset, which is deemed incompatible due to the fact that it causes connection timeout when under heavy stress (large files copy or constant writing).

We would like to ask you to try a different enclosure that does not have JMircon chipset or please consider using the external drives from the list below.
http://www.synology.com/support/faq_sho ... 43&lang=us

Our engineer asks that we eliminate this first as this is most common cause of local backup failure.

Thank you again for your message.

Best regards,
Sang
Synology America Corp.
http://www.synology.com

If the device you are trying to backup to uses JMicron, forget about it. It is doomed to fail forever. The sad thing is that their list of supported devices is extremely small.

[gunrunnerjohn]

I have been working with Synology customer support for weeks and they finally came back to be with a definitive answer on why backups were failing. Below is their last email reply to me:

Hello Jamin,

It looks like your Mediasonic external enclosure is using JMicron chipset, which is deemed incompatible due to the fact that it causes connection timeout when under heavy stress (large files copy or constant writing).

We would like to ask you to try a different enclosure that does not have JMircon chipset or please consider using the external drives from the list below.
http://www.synology.com/support/faq_sho ... 43&lang=us

Our engineer asks that we eliminate this first as this is most common cause of local backup failure.

Thank you again for your message.

Best regards,
Sang
Synology America Corp.
http://www.synology.com

If the device you are trying to backup to uses JMicron, forget about it. It is doomed to fail forever. The sad thing is that their list of supported devices is extremely small.

This is a great big DUH! Of course there is a compatibility issue! However, since I've tried at least five different enclosure chipsets over the course of the several years this has been happening, I suggest the issue is NOT the external enclosure. Those same enclosures worked perfectly with Windows and Linux on various desktop and laptop computers.

This is the usual lame answer that we've been getting all along!

[jamin0]

This is a great big DUH! Of course there is a compatibility issue! However, since I've tried at least five different enclosure chipsets over the course of the several years this has been happening, I suggest the issue is NOT the external enclosure. Those same enclosures worked perfectly with Windows and Linux on various desktop and laptop computers.

This is the usual lame answer that we've been getting all along!

Not exactly. You may have been getting this from other users but from what I have read this is the first time Synology has officially stated that they do not support anything with a JMicron chipset. They could have saved me a lot of time, money, and headache if they would just simple post that information somewhere for everyone to see instead of saying nothing about it at all.

[gunrunnerjohn]

This is a great big DUH! Of course there is a compatibility issue! However, since I've tried at least five different enclosure chipsets over the course of the several years this has been happening, I suggest the issue is NOT the external enclosure. Those same enclosures worked perfectly with Windows and Linux on various desktop and laptop computers.

This is the usual lame answer that we've been getting all along!

Not exactly. You may have been getting this from other users but from what I have read this is the first time Synology has officially stated that they do not support anything with a JMicron chipset. They could have saved me a lot of time, money, and headache if they would just simple post that information somewhere for everyone to see instead of saying nothing about it at all.

Well, that's hardly a revelation, since much has been posted about this issue. Rather than Synology wasting time telling us what they can't do, maybe they should expend that effort actually fixing the issue! This is clearly a timing issue that Windows and generic Linux have not had any problem dealing with, so I can't see why Synology can't step up and simply fix it!

The fact that they will sometimes come and "tweak" an individual firmware to run with a specific USB drive clearly indicates that a software fix should be possible.

Sorry, but I'm not impressed with the lame response, nothing has changed.