Backup Server troubleshooting

Reaching the Backup Server#

The panel won't load#

Check that the VPN tunnel is switched on in the WireGuard app, and that you're using the panel's VPN address, not the machine's public one.

If the tunnel connects but nothing loads, check that the machine's UDP port (51820 by default) is open at your provider, as well as on the machine itself.

The browser warns about the certificate#

That's expected. The Backup Server made the certificate for itself, so no public authority vouches for it. Compare the fingerprint the browser shows with the one on Server → Settings, or the one the installer printed. If they match, carry on.

The tunnel is on but a phone can't reach the panel#

If the phone uses RethinkDNS or a similar firewall app, and Do not route Private IPs is on, a server on the old 10.44.0.0/24 range is out of reach. Move it to a new range, as described in Keeping it safe. New servers are already on a range that works.

You've lost the way in#

Use your provider's web console, or the machine's own keyboard, and run sudo librebackup access set local --lan-address 192.168.1.50 with the machine's own home-network address. It puts the panel back on your home network and opens SSH again. sudo librebackup access show tells you where things stand.

The setup page has closed#

On a machine with only a public address, the setup window closes after 2 hours. Run sudo librebackup setup reopen on the machine for a new code and a new window.

Signing in#

The sign-in never works#

Five wrong passwords from one address lock sign-in for 15 minutes. If you've lost the login, run this on the Backup Server, as root in a terminal:

sudo librebackup panel reset-login

It asks for a new username and password, typed twice and not shown. It keeps the old account file beside the new one, and restarts the panel so any lockout is cleared. Add --random to have it make a strong username and password and show them once, so save them straight away.

If the panel log says cannot read admin.json, the same command, or an update, puts the file's owner right.

The master password is lost#

See If you lose it. Backups keep running meanwhile.

Connecting an install#

The connection fails or times out#

The Backup Server has to reach the install's page, and the page has to be on HTTPS. Put both on a private network, such as the Backup Server's VPN or the same home network. If the install's page only answers its trusted places, and you'd rather not change them, pair from the install's terminal instead. Connect a LibrePortal install shows how.

The code is refused#

The code works once and runs out after 10 minutes. Make a new one in the install's Connect to a Backup Server window. Five wrong codes from one address shut that address out of the connection, so type it carefully.

The install says it's too old#

Connecting needs LibrePortal 0.10.8 or newer. Update the install from Admin → Updates, then try again.

The fingerprints don't match#

Stop. Don't confirm. Something is sitting between the Backup Server and the install, or the address is wrong. Check the address, and that both are on the network you expect, before trying again.

Backups#

A source shows as overdue#

Open it and look at its Overview and Backups tabs. The usual cause is that the Backup Server can't reach the install: it was switched off, its address changed, or the VPN is down. On the Backup Server, check what the scheduler did:

sudo librebackup status
sudo journalctl -u backupserver-scheduler

"Permission denied" when pulling#

The install has tied the Backup Server's key to an old address, probably because the Backup Server moved. On the install, run:

sudo -u libreportal libreportal backupserver unpin

The next good backup ties the key to the address it really came from.

A source is "on hold"#

Its latest backup was far smaller than the one before, which can mean the install lost data. The snapshot is kept, but nothing is pruned until you look. If the smaller size is real, accept it with sudo librebackup guard accept NAME. Everyday use explains what hold means.

A source is over its size limit#

Each source gets 100 GB by default and is refused at the limit. Raise it on the source's Backups tab, or with sudo librebackup quota set NAME 200, in GB.

Backups are refused, and the disk looks full#

The Backup Server refuses a backup when less than 10 GB is free, and sends an alert. Free some space, or give the machine a bigger disk, and the next scheduled run goes through.

The restore list is empty or fails#

Make sure the install is still connected. On the install, Admin → Backups → Locations should show the Backup Server card. If the connection was made by an older version, the install asks you to connect again. If you did that, and it still fails, check that the install can reach the Backup Server's panel address, since that's where it reads its backups from.

Updates and the installer#

An update didn't go through#

The Backup Server puts the previous version back when an update fails, so it's still working. See what happened:

sudo librebackup update --check
sudo journalctl -u backupserver-update

The installer's output for the last update is in /var/log/backupserver/update.log. To put a chosen version on yourself, the one-line installer takes --version:

curl -fsSL https://get.libreportal.org/librebackup | bash -s -- --version 0.2.7

Use the version you want in place of 0.2.7.

The installer printed a warning#

Read it, and check the lines starting Panel:, Firewall: and Done. appeared. Its log is in /var/log/backupserver/install.log. Running the installer again is safe. It keeps your keys, VPN devices, settings and sources.

Still stuck#

Check that both services are running:

sudo systemctl status backupserver-web backupsink

Both should say active. For anything else, LibrePortal's own troubleshooting page covers the install's side, and the Tasks page on the install shows the full output of every job it ran.