Why do I get an "rsync: failed to set times on ... : Operation not permitted (1)" error on Ubuntu 10.10 with SME Server 7.4?

Question

I am trying to cron an rsync via ssh between two fileservers that are running SME Server 7.4 and Ubuntu 10.10, respectively. The first rsync worked just fine (for reasons that I do not know), but now, well... here's the output:

[i@i-drive ~]$ rsync -avz -e ssh /home/e-smith/files/ibays/drive-i/files/Warehouse\ Pics/* fm-backup@[hostname removed]:~/img_all/
sending incremental file list
Converted Warehouse Pictures/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures": Operation not permitted (1)
Converted Warehouse Pictures/12903-13099/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/12903-13099": Operation not permitted (1)
Converted Warehouse Pictures/12903-13099/13038/
rsync: recv_generator: mkdir "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/12903-13099/13038" failed: Permission denied (13)
*** Skipping any contents from this failed directory ***
Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677": Operation not permitted (1)
Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677/P1430928.JPG
Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677/P1430929.JPG
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677/.P1430928.JPG.8SDmeO" failed: Permission denied (13)
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/30500 - 30600/30677/.P1430929.JPG.qEfwpI" failed: Permission denied (13)
Converted Warehouse Pictures/30900 - 31000/
rsync: recv_generator: mkdir "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/30900 - 31000" failed: Permission denied (13)
*** Skipping any contents from this failed directory ***
Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder": Operation not permitted (1)
Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/IMG_3474.JPG
Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/IMG_3475.JPG
Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/IMG_3476.JPG
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/.IMG_3474.JPG.aBPfwH" failed: Permission denied (13)
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/.IMG_3475.JPG.4rQNSM" failed: Permission denied (13)
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Converted Warehouse Pictures/Tiff's Folder/.IMG_3476.JPG.EpQJkY" failed: Permission denied (13)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430200/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430300/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430300": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430300/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430400/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430400": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430400/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430500/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430500": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430500/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430600/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430600": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430600/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430700/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430700": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430700/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430800/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430800": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430800/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430900/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430900": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430900/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440000/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440000": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440000/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440100/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440100": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440100/Thumbs.db
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440200/
rsync: failed to set times on "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440200": Operation not permitted (1)
Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1440200/Thumbs.db
rsync: mkstemp "/home/fm-backup/img_all/Unconverted Warehouse Pictures/PANA 1430200/.Thumbs.db.IRLwfB" failed: Permission denied (13)
inflate returned -3 (0 bytes)
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at token.c(546) [receiver=3.0.7]
rsync: connection unexpectedly closed (8118 bytes received so far) [sender]
rsync error: error in rsync protocol data stream (code 12) at io.c(601) [sender=3.0.7]

(Note: Trust me, I know that TRWTF is the terrible and horrible way that the directory is organized. That's another project for another day.)

Neither account is root, and I don't want to have to make the accounts root for this to work.

i@i-drive rsyncs just fine to my OSX fileserver, and from the same folder, even. The account on the OSX box isn't root, either.

Solution 1

I'm pretty sure I got it sorted... I had to chmod -R 777 the folder on fm-backup, and change the rsync options from ...-avz... to -...rvz.... The only thing the Ubuntu box is even used for is to remotely back up files, so I don't see that as a problem.

Solution 2

The user that cron runs that rsync script with does not own, or has no write permission to, the target directory, and thus can't create files or alter access times.

Comments

[juanpablo]

in man rync say about -a: archive mode; same as -rlptgoD

[Cerin]

@juanpablo, That was probably the issue. Archive mode sets timestamps, which his user can't.

[elpie89]

I like to use -a --omit-dir-times and maybe add --no-times if that is also needed.